Ex-Judge Chaus Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison

The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) sentenced former judge Mykola Chaus to 10 years in prison with confiscation of property for accepting bribes.

The verdict was announced on June 14, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

The HACC board announced the verdict against the former judge of the Dniprovskyi District Court of Kyiv, Mykola Chaus, who was accused of extorting and receiving an illegal benefit of USD 150,000 seven years ago (more than UAH 3.7 million at the NBU exchange rate at that time).

The judge was sentenced to 10 years in prison with confiscation of property and deprivation of the right to hold certain positions for a period of 3 years.

Chaus was detained immediately in the courtroom.

The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SACPO) demanded for Chaus 12 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property and with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions for a period of 3 years.

The verdict can be appealed within 30 days.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, Chaus stated that he allegedly borrowed the USD 150,000 charged as a bribe to build a house.

The High Anti-Corruption Court canceled the 24-hour house arrest of ex-judge Chaus and set a bail of UAH 718,000.

On July 30, 2021, ex-judge Mykola Chaus was found in one of the villages of the Vinnytsia Region. He contacted the law enforcement agencies on his own. At the same time, Chaus was without any clothes and in only underwear.

Employees of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) were the first to intercept Chaus. At the same time, representatives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NACB) demanded that they hand over Chaus to them. As a result, law enforcement officers organized a chase through the streets of Kyiv. However, the SSU took Chaus to one of the buildings in the center of Kyiv, and later a special unit of the NACB arrived to him.