Judge of Ukraine's Supreme Economic Court Viktor Shvets has been detained while receiving illegal profit, the chief of Ukraine's State Security Service Oleksandr Tkachuk has told Interfax-Ukraine.
“Indeed, there is a criminal case under Article 368 on obtaining illegal benefits, actually a bribe, with respect to this judge,” Tkachuk said, noting that Shvets was detained on Thursday night. However, the SBU official gave no details as to the amount of the bribe, saying that there were a few episodes in the case.
He added that a very large sum of money and a passport revealing Shvets’s citizenship in another country were seized during a search.
Later Tkachuk stated on air of the 112 TV Channel that Shvets was on home arrest for the period of the investigation in his case.
Tkachuk said that $5,000 was seized from the judge at the scene, along with an obligation for $50,000. Some $375,000 obligation was found at a different location, and also money in cash.
“Some $200,000, € 20,000, and around Hr 1.5 million were seized from him [Shvets] in cash. Besides, an obligation worth $425, 000 was found,” Tkachuk said on the 112 TV Channel.
At the same time, the press service of the Supreme Economic Court said that Judge Shvets was in the office and his detention hadn’t been carried out.
There was a private conflict regarding civil law relations, the Court said, referring to Shvets’s account.
Later the SBU told Interfax-Ukraine that the judge was detained and set free, as Rada’s approval was needed for his prosecution.
