Case description
Former Chair of the State Judicial Administration Oleksii Salnikov is accused of fraud and inciting a $7,500 bribe in exchange for influencing judges of the Supreme Court.
According to the investigation, in March 2023, Salnikov received $7,500 from Oleksii Honchar. Of this, $5,000 was allegedly intended for Supreme Court judges to secure a favorable decision for a private company, and the remaining $2,500 was meant for Salnikov as a fee for mediation.
At the time, the Cassation Administrative Court was considering the cassation appeal of Forvater Plus LLC, which sought to have the inaction of the State Service of Geology and Mineral Resources of Ukraine declared unlawful and to compel certain actions.
Representatives of Forvater Plus LLC approached Honchar, whom they believed had friendly ties with then-SJA head Salnikov, asking him to inquire about the judges’ attitude toward the case. During a meeting, Honchar raised the matter with Salnikov, who said he could try to find out more at the Supreme Court.
According to the prosecution, Salnikov incited Honchar to offer a bribe to the judges handling the case to ensure a favorable decision for Forvater Plus LLC. However, Salnikov allegedly had no intention of passing on the money to the judges and planned to keep it for personal use.
During an in-person meeting, Honchar handed Salnikov $5,000 as a bribe and an additional $2,500 as payment for services. Salnikov claimed to have direct contact with the head of the Cassation Administrative Court’s administrative office, who in turn could reach the judges. A month later, Salnikov told Honchar that the money had been handed over “to resolve the issue,” though in fact he kept the entire amount. He also said he had discussed the case with Supreme Court head Vsevolod Kniaziev, who is himself a defendant in a separate HACC case.
Honchar continued to meet with Salnikov, who assured him that the Cassation Administrative Court would issue a favorable ruling for Forvater Plus. He attributed delays to external factors and claimed he planned to meet personally with the court’s chair.
Honchar eventually filed a report with NABU, acted within the framework of a controlled operation and gave money to Salnikov for further transfer to judges. After NABU detectives exposed Kniaziev for accepting a bribe, the then-head of the State Judicial Administration began avoiding further involvement and sought to keep the entire bribe for himself, with no intention of handing it over to Supreme Court judges. He used the money at his own discretion and never planned to fulfill what he had promised.
During the court hearings, former Supreme Court Chair Vsevolod Kniaziev was also questioned. He confirmed that he had maintained friendly relations with Salnikov and that they had been introduced by Oleksii Honchar, who was helping to resolve the issue of securing a new building for the court. After Honchar's arrest for fraud, all contact with him was suspended. Kniaziev stated that Salnikov never asked him to intervene in the Forvater Plus case, though between February and April 2023, Salnikov suggested a meeting with Honchar on another matter, even joking that Honchar “would be waiting for him even around the public bathroom.”
Salnikov is charged under Article 369(2) and Article 190(2) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
