The case involving an accomplice in the bribery of Supreme Court judges has been referred to trial
Based on the findings of a NABU investigation, a prosecutor from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) has filed an indictment against an individual who facilitated the transfer of funds from the owner of the “Finance and Credit” group to the Chief Justice and judges of the Supreme Court. She is charged with acting as an intermediary in the provision of an unlawful benefit.
This was reported by the SAP.
Case details:
The SAPO and NABU established that the businessman—owner of the “Finance and Credit” group—had contacts with one of the attorneys at a law firm. The lawyer was to directly transfer funds to another person involved in criminal activity, who was then to provide the received funds as an unlawful benefit to the leadership of the Supreme Court in exchange for a court decision in the businessman’s favor.
According to the investigation, in 2002, a Ukrainian businessman acquired 40.19% of the shares in a mining and processing plant from four companies. Eighteen years later, the former shareholders filed a lawsuit with the commercial court seeking to have the securities purchase agreement declared invalid and to reclaim their shares in the plant. However, the court denied the claims.
In 2022, the appellate court overturned the lower court’s decision and declared the securities purchase agreement invalid.
To prevent the loss of the shares, in early March 2023, the businessman conspired with a back-office lawyer at the Supreme Court. Between March and April 2023, with the assistance of another lawyer and a number of unidentified individuals, the businessman transferred $2.7 million to the lawyer ($1.8 million to Supreme Court justices, the remainder as payment for intermediary services).
On April 19, 2023, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the businessman.
On May 15, 2023, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the lawyer were caught in the act of receiving a second tranche of $450,000.
In August 2023, the businessman was notified of the charges, and in September 2025, the accomplice was notified.
In October 2025, the pre-trial investigation into the businessman and his accomplice was completed. Currently, the indictment against the latter has been sent to the High Anti-Corruption Court for consideration on the merits.
NABU explainedthe investigation into Olena Zelenska.
The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office stated that it would ask the court to impose a preventive measure in the form of pretrial detention on former Head of the President’s Office Andriy Yermak, with the alternative of posting bail in the amount of 180 million hryvnias.
Former Head of the President’s Office Andriy Yermak attributes the charges brought against him to “public pressure on law enforcement agencies” to adopt specific procedural decisions regarding him.
