Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Vsevolod Knyazev sentenced to 5 years in prison: agreed to cooperate with the investigation

The High Anti-Corruption Court has approved a plea agreement between SAPO prosecutors and former Supreme Court Chairman Vsevolod Knyazev in the case of a large-scale corruption scheme with commissioned court decisions.

The former head of the Supreme Court was found guilty of systematically receiving illegal benefits for making decisions in favor of interested parties. Under the terms of the agreement, Knyazev fully admitted his guilt and agreed to provide incriminating testimony against other participants in the corruption scheme.

The court sentenced him to five years in prison with confiscation of property. In addition, more than $200,000 of the former judge’s personal funds, as well as more than $1.2 million that appeared in the bribery case, will be recovered from the state’s revenue.

The NABU noted that under the agreements, the state will receive a total of more than 113 million hryvnias. Separately, Knyazev agreed to transfer a significant amount to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine through the charitable foundation “Return Alive”.

As a reminder, Vsevolod Knyazev was detained in May 2023 while receiving illegal benefits. This case became one of the most high-profile corruption scandals in the Ukrainian judicial system in recent years.

Previously, the NACP also recorded other violations by the former Chairman of the Supreme Court, including receiving gifts in violation of anti-corruption legislation and renting luxury housing in the center of Kyiv for a symbolic fee.