Supreme Court Judge Iryna Hryhorieva Suspended from Justice Due to Bribery Suspicion

The High Council of Justice considered the petition of the Deputy Prosecutor General – Head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office Oleksandr Klymenko regarding the temporary suspension of Supreme Court Judge Iryna Hryhorieva from exercising justice due to her being brought to criminal responsibility.

In the petition, the head of the SAP requested to temporarily suspend the Supreme Court judge from exercising justice for a period of two months in connection with her being brought to criminal responsibility under Part 4 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

As reported by the "Judicial and Legal Newspaper", the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, under the procedural guidance of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, is conducting a pre-trial investigation in a criminal proceeding, which was separated from a broader investigation concerning corruption schemes in the judicial system involving other officials.

According to the prosecution's petition materials, the Supreme Court judge of the Grand Chamber allegedly received an unlawful benefit in an especially large amount for making a decision in a case related to a corporate dispute.

The petition also notes that the judge influenced the results of the consideration of a cassation appeal regarding the cancellation of the decision of the appellate commercial court and the further review of decisions of lower courts.
Additionally, the petition materials mention other episodes of possible unlawful benefit transfers, which, according to the investigation, occurred in 2023–2024.

The prosecution attached a significant amount of evidence to the petition, including:

• protocols of review of court decisions
• protocols of covert investigative (search) actions;
• audio and video surveillance materials;
• search protocols;
• witness testimonies;
• notification of suspicion and court ruling on the application of a preventive measure.

Prosecution's Position

The SAP prosecutor emphasized in the session that Supreme Court Grand Chamber Judge Iryna Hryhorieva, according to the investigation materials, received an unlawful benefit of 50 thousand US dollars from the former Supreme Court Chairman Vsevolod Knyaziev. This occurred approximately on May 12, 2023, in his office. According to the prosecution's version, the funds were transferred for making a decision in favor of certain persons in a corporate case, in which Iryna Hryhorieva voted for a draft ruling that satisfied the interested parties.
The prosecution stressed that the risk of obstructing the investigation is high since the judge continues to work in the Cassation Criminal Court of the Supreme Court.

According to the prosecutor, Iryna Hryhorieva has a wide circle of contacts among judges and can influence witnesses (including other Supreme Court judges – Zhanna Yelenina, Ihor Zheleznyi, and others), change their testimonies, or coordinate positions. The prosecutor also pointed to the risk of destruction or forgery of documents and the possibility of influencing pre-trial investigation bodies. The reasonableness of the suspicion, according to SAP, has already been confirmed by the court when choosing a preventive measure in the form of bail amounting to 2.5 million UAH.

The prosecution representative also drew attention to the change in testimonies of Judge Iryna Hryhorieva. According to him, during the 2023 search when 50 thousand US dollars were found, she initially stated that the money belonged to her daughter. Later, during questioning as a witness, Iryna Hryhorieva changed her version and explained receiving the money as a loan from Vsevolod Knyaziev for purchasing housing.

After the suspicion was announced, she refused to give any testimony, citing Article 63 of the Constitution of Ukraine.

"Claims about the suspect's consistent position are not true – her explanations have changed three times already," the prosecutor emphasized.

He also commented on the defense's arguments regarding the transfer of funds. The prosecutor noted that the versions of other judges (Ihor Zheleznyi – 10 thousand dollars to help the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Zhanna Yelenina – 50 thousand dollars for military aid) raise questions since Vsevolod Knyaziev transferred significant sums without any documentary evidence. "For Supreme Court judges, this looks at least strange," noted the SAP representative.

Defense's Position

The defense attorney of Judge Iryna Hryhorieva denied the validity of the petition for suspension, stating that the risks cited by the prosecution are declarative and not supported by concrete evidence.

The lawyer noted that during the selection of the preventive measure, the prosecutor did not indicate the risk of influencing witnesses or obstructing the investigation, and the High Anti-Corruption Court recognized these risks as unproven.
The defense also emphasized that the judge is obliged to declare recusal in case of a conflict of interest, so continuing to exercise justice does not automatically create a threat to the criminal proceedings.

Moreover, the lawyer criticized the quality of the petition's justification, noting that it lacks individualized evidence that the performance of judicial duties by Iryna Hryhorieva will lead to the destruction of evidence or influence on participants in the process.

The defense attorney stressed that she actively cooperated with the investigation from the beginning. Despite the 2023 searches and being brought to criminal responsibility, she never evaded the investigation, regularly appeared for summons, and repeatedly gave detailed explanations. The lawyer noted that these testimonies of Hryhorieva from 2023 were not attached by the prosecution to the petition for suspension.

"If we follow the concept applied by the pre-trial investigation bodies, the High Anti-Corruption Court, and the prosecutor, then Knyaziev's testimonies have not yet been verified in court and therefore cannot be considered sufficient evidence," the defense emphasized.

The lawyer also noted that Iryna Hryhorieva did not hide abroad, although she had the opportunity, continued to work in the Supreme Court, and did not take any actions aimed at obstructing the investigation. In addition, the results of checking her declarations did not reveal undeclared assets. In the legal community, especially among criminal law specialists, Iryna Hryhorieva is known as a principled judge. In particular, the defense cited an example when she, upon discovering an envelope with money in the case materials, independently initiated an appeal to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau.

The defense also responded to remarks regarding the judge's declaration. The lawyer noted that the conclusion of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention about inaccurate declaration is premature. According to him, Vsevolod Knyaziev, citing Article 63 of the Constitution of Ukraine, refused to confirm or deny the fact of money transfer as a loan. In such a situation, when one source of information (the judge) claims a loan, and the other refrains from comments, the National Agency had no sufficient grounds for a definitive conclusion about the inaccuracy of the information.

Decision of the High Council of Justice

Following the consideration of the petition by the Deputy Prosecutor General – Head of SAP, the High Council of Justice decided to temporarily suspend Supreme Court Judge Iryna Hryhorieva from exercising justice due to her being brought to criminal responsibility.

As reported by the "Judicial and Legal Newspaper", the case of receiving unlawful benefits amounting to 2.7 million US dollars, which in 2023 dealt a blow to the reputation of Ukraine's judiciary, entered an active procedural development phase in May 2026. 

Subscribe to our Telegram channel t.me/sudua  and to Google News SUD.UA, as well as to our VIBER and WhatsApp, Facebook page and Instagram to stay updated on the most important events.