Ukraine detains ex-judge who evaded bribery sentence for three years
Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies have located former Dnipro judge Andriy Leonov, who spent over three years hiding from an 11-year prison sentence for bribery. He has now been placed in a pre-trial detention facility.
Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) have tracked down Andriy Leonov, a former judge of the Babushkinsky District Court in the city of Dnipro, who was sentenced in 2023 to 11 years in prison for bribery.
According to the prosecutor's office, Leonov spent more than three years evading the court and avoiding his prison sentence. To do so, he used various methods of concealment: traveling along sparsely populated routes, disguising his appearance, regularly changing his means of communication, swapping license plates on vehicles, and at times even wearing the uniform of a National Police officer. He has now been transferred to a pre-trial detention center.
Background of the case
Law enforcement officials noted that the judge was first caught in May 2018 extorting a $30,000 bribe and receiving part of that sum. In exchange, he promised to recognize a farming enterprise as an injured party and to issue a ruling without imprisonment in a case involving raiding and document forgery.
In March 2023, the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) found Leonov guilty, sentencing him to 11 years in prison, barring him from holding judicial office for three years, and confiscating all of his property. However, Leonov failed to appear for the sentencing announcement and the appeal hearing, and in June 2023 he was placed on the wanted list.
