---
title: "Plea Deal with Justice: Former Head of the Supreme Court Knyazev Sentenced to 5 Years for Bribery and 'Turned in' Colleagues"
description: "Former head of the Supreme Court of Ukraine Vsevolod Knyazev sentenced to 5 years in prison for bribery. As part of a plea deal with investigators, he admitted guilt and 'turned in' colleagues, which led to the removal of other judges. 💰⚖️"
date: 2026-06-08T17:42:07.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/plea-deal-with-justice-former-head-of-the-supreme-court-knyazev-sentenced-to-5-years-for-bribery-and-turned-in-colleagues
tags: []
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Plea Deal with Justice: Former Head of the Supreme Court Knyazev Sentenced to 5 Years for Bribery and 'Turned in' Colleagues

![Former Supreme Court head Knyazev in court: sentenced to 5 years for bribe and testified against colleagues](https://xab.info/media/2026/06/08/eks-glava-verkhovnogo-suda-knyazev-priговорen-k-5-letam-za-vzyatku/eks-glava-verkhovnogo-suda-knyazev-priговорen-k-5-letam-za-vzyatku-1.webp)

A historic event has occurred within the Ukrainian judicial system. The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) approved a plea agreement with former Supreme Court Chairman Vsevolod Knyazev. This decision marked the end of the career of one of the country's most influential judges and was made possible thanks to his cooperation with the investigation.

### Verdict: Five Years and Confiscation

The court found Knyazev guilty of obtaining undue benefits. As punishment, the former official was sentenced to a real term of imprisonment — 5 years. However, the consequences of the verdict go far beyond prison bars. Vsevolod Knyazev has been deprived of the right to hold any positions in judicial and law enforcement agencies for three years, which effectively puts an end to his professional activity in this field.

The convicted man's financial losses are also colossal. According to the verdict, his personal property will be confiscated, including an apartment and a residential house, as well as more than $200,000 in personal savings. A separate item involves the special confiscation of funds that were the subject of the crime: $1,248,700.

### The Price of Confession

The key point in the case was that Knyazev went for an official deal with the investigation. He fully admitted his guilt and agreed to give incriminating testimony against other accomplices. This cooperation has already borne fruit: the information provided by him allowed suspicions to be announced and other Supreme Court judges to be removed from the judiciary.

As part of the agreement, the former head of the court undertook to direct $1,104,600 to the needs of the defense forces through a charity fund. This condition became part of his deal with the prosecution.

### Chronology of Exposure

Criminal proceedings against Knyazev were initiated in May 2023. At that time, detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) detained the official while receiving undue benefits amounting to $2.7 million. According to the investigation, the bribe was transferred in the interests of certain business structures.

The HACC verdict is not yet final. The prosecution and defense have 30 days to appeal the decision. At the moment, no official comments have been received from the defense of other defendants in the case and judges against whom suspicions were raised based on Knyazev's testimony.