By KYIV. May 16 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The judges of the Supreme Court received unlawful benefits for making a decision in favor of Kostiantyn Zhevaho, the owner of Finance and Credit financial group, said Semen Kryvonos, the director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).
He said at a briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday that the NABU had received information about the activities of a criminal group with the involvement of intermediary judges, the leadership of the judicial branch of government and carried out a set of operational and technical measures with the involvement of an undercover detective.
“A number of contacts were recorded between the owner of Finance and Credit financial group and one of the owners of the lawyer association, which was used to cover up criminal activity. There was an agreement between the owner of this group and the owners of this lawyer association to transfer unlawful benefits in favor of high-ranking officials of the court for making the decision necessary for this entrepreneur,” the NABU director said.
According to Kryvonos, the court session was supposed to take place on March 15, but it was postponed in order to “delay time for the accumulation of certain funds and reaching agreements.”
He clarified that in parallel there was a transfer of funds from the businessman to the lawyer.
“On April 19, the Supreme Court made a decision, and in early May, the lawyer – a member of this criminal group – received an instruction from the leadership of the Supreme Court on the distribution of this unlawful benefit among the judges involved in this criminal group,” he said.
According to the NABU director, on May 3, the “first tranche” of the illegal benefit was received, and on May 15, the second part of the bribe, on which the leadership of the Supreme Court was caught red-handed.
Zhevaho, in turn, denies involvement in the situation with the Supreme Court.
