Ukraine's ex-Supreme Court chief reaches plea deal, gets 5 years in jail

A Ukrainian court upheld a plea bargain between Vsevolod Kniazev, ex-head of the Supreme Court, and prosecutors on June 8.

The decision represents the most high-profile conviction in a corruption case in Ukraine's independent history.

Kniazev, who had been charged with taking a bribe, fully admitted his guilt and agreed to testify against his accomplices, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) said.

According to the plea deal, the High Anti-Corruption Court sentenced him to five years in jail and banned him from holding judicial or law enforcement jobs for three years.

The court also ruled to confiscate Kniazev's apartment and house, his savings worth over $200,000 and a bribe worth $1.25 million.

Additionally, he agreed to donate $1.1 million to the Armed Forces of Ukraine via the Come Back Alive charity.

Kniaziev was charged with accepting a bribe in 2023. He was dismissed from his position through a vote of no confidence.

The same year, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) charged Ukrainian oligarch Kostyantyn Zhevago with bribing Kniaziev in exchange for a decision in his favor.

The trial in the Kniazev case began in 2024.

In May 2026 the NABU also charged three Supreme Court judges with receiving bribes in exchange for rulings in Zhevago's interests as part of the same case.