The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) have completed a multi-year search for a former judge. The defendant in a high-profile corruption case had been hiding from law enforcement agencies for more than three years, using various methods of conspiracy and camouflage, including disguising himself as a police officer.
Chronicle of the crime and exposure
The story began in May 2018, when Andriy Leonov, a judge of the Babushkinsky District Court of Dnipro, was caught red-handed. According to the investigation, he extorted a bribe of 30,000 US dollars and managed to receive part of this amount. For a financial reward, the judge promised to make a procedural decision in the interests of a farm, recognizing it as an injured party in a case of raiding and document forgery, and to issue a sentence not related to actual imprisonment.
Attempts to escape justice
Despite the severity of the charges and the trial proceedings, Leonov chose the tactic of fleeing. He ignored the sentencing hearing and the subsequent consideration of the case in the appellate court. As a result, in June 2023, the fugitive ex-judge was officially put on the wanted list. As it turned out during operational measures, he carefully hid, changed places of residence, and even tried to camouflage himself as a law enforcement officer.
Detention and next steps
Currently, the lengthy search is over: the detained former judge has been taken to a pre-trial detention center to serve the sentence imposed by the court. This high-profile case demonstrates the inevitability of punishment for corrupt officials in robes, despite long attempts to evade responsibility through flight and conspiracy.
