The NABU and the SAPO have expanded the list of suspects in the Supreme Court corruption case
On May 19, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office announced the expansion of the list of suspects in a large-scale criminal investigation into alleged corruption within the Supreme Court. According to the investigation, those implicated include current and former Supreme Court justices suspected of receiving improper benefits in exchange for rulings in high-profile property disputes.
This involves three current Supreme Court judges, as well as a retired Supreme Court judge, who, according to the investigation, while serving as judges of the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court, received improper benefits for ruling in the interests of the owner of the “Finance and Credit” group.
The jurisdiction of the judges of the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court includes hearing the most complex and exceptional legal disputes.
One such dispute involved former shareholders challenging the purchase agreement for 40.19% of the shares in the Poltava Mining and Processing Plant, acquired in 2002 by a businessman who owns the “Finance and Credit” group.
The court of first instance dismissed the claim, but in 2022, the appellate court overturned that decision and declared the agreement invalid.
Due to the complexity of the legal dispute, its further consideration in the cassation instance was conducted by judges of the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court.
To avoid losing his shares, between March and April 2023, the businessman transferred $2.7 million through an intermediary to a lawyer—a member of the so-called “back office” of the Supreme Court—so that the lawyer would pass these funds on to the former chief justice and judges of the Supreme Court to secure the “desired” ruling.
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In Kharkiv, a scheme for illegally smuggling conscripts abroad was uncovered, involving a TCC employee and a former “Berkut” officer. According to the investigation, they promised to arrange travel to Slovakia for $18,000.
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