HACC approves agreement with former Supreme Court chairman: 5 years in prison
The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) has approved a plea agreement with the former chairman of the Supreme Court, who was exposed for receiving an improper benefit: 5 years of real imprisonment, confiscation of an apartment, a house, and more than $200,000, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) reports.
The SAPO report does not specify the name of the accused, but it refers to Vsevolod Kniazev.
"On June 8, 2026, the High Anti-Corruption Court approved a plea agreement between the SAPO prosecutor and the former Chairman of the Supreme Court. He was exposed in May 2023 for receiving an improper benefit on an especially large scale," the anti-corruption prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
According to SAPO, the accused fully admitted his guilt in the crime incriminated against him, agreed to provide incriminating testimony against accomplices, and to receive a real term with confiscation of property.
By the verdict of HACC, the former chairman of the Supreme Court was found guilty of committing a crime under Part 4 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and sentenced to 5 years of real imprisonment with deprivation of the right to hold positions in judicial and law enforcement agencies for a period of three years; confiscation of an apartment and a house; confiscation of more than $200,000 in personal savings, and special confiscation of $1 million 248 thousand 700, which were the subject of the improper benefit.
In addition, as SAPO notes, by agreement of the parties, the former chairman of the Supreme Court will direct $1,104,600 to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine through the Come Back Alive charity foundation.
"We emphasize that a plea agreement is a real and effective mechanism for achieving justice. This is not a payoff or a way to avoid responsibility, as the public sometimes mistakenly believes, but a conscious step for a pragmatic balance of the interests of the state and justice," the anti-corruption prosecutor’s office said.
SAPO notes that this tool transforms criminal proceedings into an effective system thanks to which the state quickly receives a concrete result. "The case regarding the former Chairman of the Supreme Court clearly demonstrates: the institute of agreements is not a theoretical construct, but an alternative-free necessity for a country at war. The state simply has no right to waste precious time and scarce resources on endless trials," the anti-corruption prosecutor’s office remarks.
The report reminds that the judicial consideration of this case on the merits began back in August 2024. "The agreement puts an end to this long process: the top official officially admitted his guilt, his guilt has been proven, and he received a real punishment," SAPO explains.
In addition, according to the report, thanks to the agreement, the state received a powerful economic effect: the country’s budget was replenished by $2 million 554 thousand 300.
As reported, NABU and SAPO notified Supreme Court judges of suspicion for making a decision in the interests of the owner of the Finance and Credit group, Kostiantyn Zhevago. According to the investigation, in March-April 2023, Zhevago, through an intermediary, handed over $2.7 million to a lawyer so that he could transfer these funds to Kniazev and other judges of the Supreme Court to make the "needed" decision.
The court determined bail for judge Iryna Hryhorieva at UAH 2.5 million, for judge Ihor Zhelezny at UAH 2 million, and for judge Zhanna Yelenina at UAH 3 million. The judges filed an appeal against these decisions.
On May 19, SAPO and NABU announced new suspicions in the case of corruption in the Supreme Court: three current judges of the Supreme Court and one retired judge are suspected of receiving an improper benefit for making a decision in the interests of the owner of the Finance and Credit group. According to the investigation, these persons received an improper benefit for making a decision in the interests of the owner of the Finance and Credit group – businessman Kostiantyn Zhevago.
According to the anti-corruption prosecutor’s office, in 2002, the Ukrainian businessman purchased 40.19% of the shares of Poltava Mining and Processing Plant from four companies.
In 2022, the court of appeal overturned the decision of the first instance and declared the securities purchase and sale agreement invalid. To prevent the loss of shares, at the beginning of March 2023, the businessman entered into a conspiracy with a lawyer of a "back office" in the Supreme Court. According to SAPO, during March-April 2023, the businessman handed over $2.7 million to the lawyer.
"On April 19, 2023, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the businessman. After that, in May 2023, $1.8 million was distributed between the Chairman and judges of the Supreme Court," SAPO informed.
On May 15, 2023, the Chairman of the Supreme Court, Vsevolod Kniazev, and a lawyer were exposed while receiving the second tranche of an improper benefit in the amount of $450,000. The case accusing the former top official is currently being heard in HACC.
In July 2023, the businessman himself was notified of suspicion, and in September 2025 – the person with whose assistance the transfer of funds by the owner of the Finance and Credit group to the Chairman and judges of the Supreme Court was ensured.
On October 15, 2025, the Appeals Chamber of HACC granted permission for a special pretrial investigation in the case of the owner of the Finance and Credit group.