On February 26, 2025, former Supreme Court Chairman Vsevolod Kniazev was interrogated in the case of State Judicial Administration head Oleksii Salnikov.
What is Salnikov's case about? The investigation believes that in March 2023, Salnikov received $7,500 in bribes from citizen Honchar, with $5,000 intended for Supreme Court judges and the rest kept for mediation.
However, after Kniazev was caught taking a bribe, Salnikov’s behavior changed dramatically, according to investigators—he began evading the resolution of the issue but did not intend to return the bribe. Honchar contacted NABU as a whistleblower.
During the interrogation, Kniazev confirmed that he had maintained friendly relations with Salnikov since 2017. They were introduced by whistleblower Oleksii Honchar when he assisted in resolving the issue of a new courtroom. At the same time, Kniazev stated that after he became the chairman of the Supreme Court, Honchar began trying to “befriend” him and allegedly offered dubious services to entrepreneurs, exploiting his connections with him. After Honchar's arrest for fraud, all contact with him was suspended.
Regarding the case of Forvater Plus LLC, for which Salnikov allegedly received a bribe from Honchar, Kniazev stated that Salnikov did not approach him with any requests.
However, according to Kniazev, from February to April 2023, Salnikov offered him a meeting with Honchar on another matter, even joking that he “would be waiting for him even around the public bathroom.” By the way, it was Kniazev who appointed Salnikov as chairman of the SJA. Salnikov refused to testify about one of the cases he discussed with Kniazev, citing his right against self-incrimination.
Kniazev is accused of receiving a $2.7 million bribe. According to investigators, in collusion with notary Kyrylo Horburov and lawyer Oleh Horetskyi, he organized a scheme to receive bribes in exchange for favorable court decisions. Kniazev noted that it was Honchar who introduced him to lawyer Horetskyi.