Court fines Supreme Court ex-head Kniaziev and confiscates almost UAH 1 million, which he did not pay for renting apartment in Kyiv

The Pecherskyi District Court of Kyiv has fined the former head of the Supreme Court Vsevolod Kniaziev UAH 2,550 and confiscated almost UAH 1 million, which he had to pay for renting an apartment in the Pecherskyi District of Kyiv.

This is stated in court materials, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

The court found that for several years Kniaziev rented a 4-room apartment on Pechersk with an area of ​ ​ 133 square meters at a price much lower than the minimum market cost of renting housing in the city of Kyiv, namely for UAH 1,000 per month.

According to the letter of the Research Institute of Forensic Expertise to the request of the NACP, based on the results of the analysis of statistical data, as well as in accordance with the information indicated in the available sources, it was found that the minimum market value of renting this apartment could be:

- as of 19.11.2021 - UAH 51,500 per month (i.e. UAH 387 per 1 sq.m.);

- as of 19.11.2022 - UAH 51,100 per month (i.e. UAH 384 per 1 sq.m.);

- as of 15.05.2023 - UAH 57,400 per month (i.e. UAH 431 per 1 sq.m.).

That is, Kniaziev underpaid UAH 906,600.

In the court session, Kniaziev did not admit his guilt in the administrative offense and explained that in November 2017, after being appointed chairman of the Supreme Court, through a realtor, he began to look for an apartment for rent nearby at a price of about USD 1,000.

After some time, the realtor found the judge a 4-room apartment, which the owner herself showed to Kniaziev.

This apartment was suitable for him, and the parties agreed that Kniaziev would rent the apartment for USD 1,100 a month and a parking lot near the house for UAH 1,000.

Kniaziev proposed to conclude separate lease agreements.

Thus, according to Kniaziev's testimony, the cost of renting this apartment was not UAH 1,000, but USD 1,100, about which a separate contract was signed, which was not discovered during a search by NABU detectives.

The court critically assessed such explanations and found Kniaziev guilty of committing an offense under Part 1 of Art. 172-5 (violation of legal restrictions on receiving gifts) of the Administrative Code and applied to him an administrative penalty in the form of a fine in favor of the state in the amount of 150 tax-free minimum incomes of citizens, which is UAH 2,550, with confiscation of a "gift" in the amount of UAH 906,600.

Kniaziev has now appealed the court decision.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) wants to include Kniaziev in the corruption register for receiving a gift in the form of a discount on the rent of an apartment in Kyiv.

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