Ukraine Detains Chief Justice in Corruption Case

Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities announced today, Tuesday, that they have detained the Chief Justice as part of an investigation deemed a significant step in Kyiv's fight against high-level corruption. Kyiv is making doubled efforts to clamp down on corruption despite the Russian invasion, which is essential for meeting the conditions for EU membership. The prosecutor's office specializing in anti-corruption did not disclose the name of the judge, but the Chief Justice is reported to be Vasyl Knyazev, and he could not be reached for immediate comment. The office stated in a release that it is suspected that "the Chief Justice accepted a bribe of $2.7 million." It clarified that the bribe was in exchange for issuing a ruling favoring a financial and credit group owned by the well-known businessman Kostyantyn Zhevaho, and may be part of a larger scheme to exert pressure on the court.