Ukraine’s Supreme Court Chief Justice, Vsevolod Knyazev, was arrested and removed from his post on Tuesday after being accused of taking a $2.7 million bribe. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office said they had caught the Chief Justice and a lawyer red-handed while receiving the illegal benefit.
The court’s judges released a joint statement saying, “This is a dark day in the history of the court. We must be worthy and withstand such a blow.” They added that they would fully cooperate with investigations and that the court must “act on the principle of self-purification, taking all necessary measures.”
The arrest comes as Ukraine seeks fast-track entry to the European Union, and as President Volodymyr Zelensky has retrained his focus on fighting corruption. The country’s inability to suppress graft and corruption has concerned its Western allies.