Current, former chairmen of specialized court caught on extorting USD 1 mln

NABU and SAPO have exposed current and former chairmen of the Commercial Court of the Lviv Region who extorted USD 1 million from a representative of a private company. 

This is the first exposure of the head of a specialized court of general jurisdiction by anti-corruption authorities.

In exchange for the amount, the judges promised to ensure that the necessary decisions were made by the Western Commercial Court of Appeal, as well as to prevent the contract killing of the whistleblower, which was planned by his opponents in the trial.

During the investigation, detectives and prosecutors documented the transfer of a part of the undue advantage in the amount of USD 75,000.

The current and former chairmen of the Commercial Court of the Lviv Region have been served with charges under Part 2 Art 28, Part 3 Art 369-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. 

The investigation is ongoing.

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.