State Judicial Administration head suspected of bribery incitement
NABU and SAPO have notified the head of the State Judicial Administration of suspicion of instigating the provision of undue benefits to judges of the Supreme Court in exchange for decisions in favor of a commercial enterprise. His actions fall under Part 2 Article 15, Part 4 Article 27, Part 4 Article 369, and Part 2 Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
According to the investigation, the current SJA head received USD 7,500 from a representative of a commercial enterprise on March 5, 2023, of which USD 5,000 was to be passed on to the judges for making a favorable decision, and USD 2,500 was retained as a commission for intermediary services.
Further on, the SJA head promised to facilitate the adoption of the right decision, including involving the head of the Supreme Court. However, after NABU and SAPO exposed the head of the Supreme Court accepting an undue benefit, the behavior of the SJA head drastically changed: he started avoiding the issue but showed no intention of returning the illegally received benefit.
NABU and SAPO are preparing documents for the court to impose pre-trial preventive measures on the suspect.
According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is considered not-guilty in the commission of a crime and cannot be subject to criminal punishment until he or she is found guilty by court.