Supreme Court votes to dismiss chief accused of taking a $3 million bribe.

A plenary meeting of Ukraine's Supreme Court has voted no-confidence in the court's head Vsevolod Kniaziev, who was detained for allegedly receiving a £3 million bribe, dismissing him from the position. According to the court's press service[1], 140 judges voted in favor of the decision. However, Kniaziev didn't lose his status as a judge since only the Supreme Council of Justice can completely dismiss him from the judicial system and allow his arrest at the request of the prosecutor's office, Hromadske news outlet wrote[2].  

The new Chairman of the Supreme Court should be elected in a competition, according to Ukrainian legislation. Before the procedure, the head's administrative powers should be exercised by a judge with the most experience in the Supreme Court. This person is Dmytro Luspenyk, the secretary of the Supreme Court's plenary sessions.

Luspenyk offered judges to hold an open vote for him. "I don't want it for legitimacy, but to feel that other judges have no other interpretation of this norm. I am asking you to vote," he said at the meeting, cited by Hromadske. However, the judges supported his candidacy without a vote.

Kniaziev was detained[3] by authorities on May 15, with charges against him to be filed later, according to the heads of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO). Ukrainian news outlet ZN.UA, citing its source at the NABU, reported on May 15 that Kniaziev had allegedly received money for supporting a court ruling in favor of Ukrainian oligarch Kostiantyn Zhevago who denied the accusation. During the press briefing on May 16, NABU head Semen Kryvonos confirmed that Zhevago was involved with the bribery case.

The Supreme Court has considered the case on Zhevago's ownership of 40.19% of Poltava Mining and Processing Plant, part of the Ferrexpo group, ruling to allow Zhevago to keep the shares. On Feb.

2, Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) reported that the plant's chief accountant had been charged[4] with tax evasion and forgery. According to the investigation, in 2018-2021, the suspect entered false information into the company's documents, which helped it avoid paying Hr 2 billion (£54.6 million) in rent payments to the state budget for using an iron ore deposit.

New top anti-corruption investigator has mixed record of graft allegations, reformist credentials

Semen Kryvonos, the newly-appointed head of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), has previously held jobs associated with anti-corruption reforms. Kryvonos was appointed as head of the NABU by the Cabinet of Ministers on March 6 after being selected from a shortlist of three peopl...

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References

1. ^ press service (supreme.court.gov.ua)
2. ^ wrote (hromadske.ua)
3. ^ detained (kyivindependent.com)
4. ^ charged (kyivindependent.com)
5. ^ New top anti-corruption investigator has mixed record of graft allegations, reformist credentialsSemen Kryvonos, the newly-appointed head of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), has previously held jobs associated with anti-corruption reforms.

   Kryvonos was appointed as head of the NABU by the Cabinet of Ministers on March 6 after being selected from a shortlist of three peopl... (kyivindependent.com)