Corruption case of Knyazyev: Zhovaho’s lawyer Anatoliy Rekun is suspected of aiding bribery

Corruption case of Knyazyev: Zhovaho’s lawyer Anatoliy Rekun is suspected of aiding bribery

Last week, it became known that another figure has emerged in the corruption case involving the former head of the Supreme Court, who is believed to have played the role of an accomplice in transferring illicit benefits. 

This was reported by Sudovyi Reporter.

Suspicion has been served to lawyer Anatoliy Rekun, who works for businessman Kostyantyn Zhevaho. For a serious corruption crime, he faces 5 to 10 years in prison.

Details of the investigation were revealed during hearings at the High Anti-Corruption Court, which considered a motion for a preventive measure over the course of three days with breaks. The prosecutor requested a preventive measure in the form of a 30 million hryvnia bail for the suspect, but the court set it at only 10 million.

Lawyers for Zhevaho

The backstory of this case began in 2022, when the Northern Appellate Court, following a complaint from structures linked to Ihor Kolomoiskyi, declared invalid a 20-year-old agreement on Zhevaho’s purchase of 40% of the shares of the Poltava Mining and Processing Plant.

According to detectives, Zhevaho planned to provide illicit benefits to Supreme Court judges to overturn this decision.

At that time, Zhevaho was residing abroad, while in Ukraine, he already had a criminal case related to the embezzlement of funds from the Finance and Credit Bank. In 2022-2023, France was considering Ukraine’s request for his extradition. 

As stated by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), the businessman could not personally transfer the funds to the judges due to “objective reasons.” Therefore, he involved accomplices.

Zhevago’s business was serviced by many different lawyers. Lawyer Oleh Horetskyi, upon learning about the difficult situation with the Poltava Mining and Processing Plant, allegedly offered his services himself. And, likely, not by coincidence. Because in the office of Horetskyi’s law firm, notary Kyrylo Horburov, a childhood friend of Supreme Court head Vsevolod Knyazyev and considered his “wallet,” had an office. 

In early March 2023, information about Zhevaho’s alleged willingness to pay for a court decision was reportedly brought to the attention of Supreme Court head Vsevolod Knyazyev. 

NABU documented Horburov’s visits to Knyazyev’s apartment with bags. The last visit occurred on May 15, 2023, when detectives stormed the apartment and found a “remainder” in the bag—$450,000 out of a total sum of $2 million.

Knyazev and Horetskyi were detained red-handed. Horburov, as it turned out, began cooperating with NABU in time and avoided liability. Zhevaho was served with suspicion on the territory of France under international legal assistance procedures.

After several months in a pre-trial detention center, Horetskyi agreed to a plea deal—donating several tens of millions to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and committing to provide incriminating testimony. 

In 2024, the case against former Supreme Court head Knyazyev began to be considered on its merits in the High Anti-Corruption Court. 

Businessman Zhevaho’s lawyer Anatoliy Rekun had already been mentioned during these hearings. In the indictment against Knyazyev, it is written that on March 8, 2023, in the office of the law association “Finance and Credit Lex,” in the presence of lawyer Rekun, Horetskyi held a video conference with Zhevaho, who confirmed his intent to provide a bribe. During the examination of materials from operational and investigative measures, the prosecutor also stated that money was transferred through lawyer Rekun with the involvement of Horetskyi’s driver. However, despite such statements, no additional suspicions were rushed to be served. 

Lawyer Rekun transitioned from a witness to a suspect only 2.5 years after the high-profile exposure of the corruption scheme.

“Tolik will deliver the documents”

During the selection of a preventive measure, the prosecutor quoted several conversations from the operational and investigative case about how the process of transferring money, euphemistically referred to as documents or letters, was coordinated.

“If there are documents today, we’ll pass them through Tolik. If not, then at the latest tomorrow,” Zhevaho promised Horetskyi on March 23, 2023.

On April 6, 2023, Zhevaho spoke with Horetskyi again: “I’m saying that Tolik will deliver the documents now. Accordingly, if possible, please pick them up. We’ll talk by the end of the day. There should be 400 sheets of documents. We’ll check the numbers by the end of the day.”

The prosecutor also reported that on March 13, 2023, Rekun personally visited Horetskyi’s office and, in a meeting room, handed him $800,000, which was counted on the spot. If this is true, this information must have been known to detectives much earlier. 

The investigating judge raised questions about this to the prosecutor, who diplomatically stated that, of course, it is not true that nothing was done over the past 2.5 years, and assured that investigative actions were being conducted the entire time.

Suspect with defender

Lawyer Maksym Soroka defended Rekun during the selection of a preventive measure. He considers the suspicion unfounded and the collected evidence inadmissible. 

The conversations of the suspects were recorded without registering a criminal case as part of an operational and investigative case opened on November 7, 2022. Operational measures began 4-5 months before Zhevaho, according to the investigation, formed the intent to provide illicit benefits. The grounds for initiating the operational and investigative case are unknown. For several months, operatives recorded conversations without intervening or stopping possible illegal actions. The criminal case was registered only two weeks before Knyazev’s exposure.

Additionally, evidence may have been collected in violation of attorney-client privilege, as Horetskyi and Rekun communicated with Zhevaho as his lawyers. 

— It does not appear that Horetskyi and Tolik (Zhevaho refers to Rekun as Tolik in conversations, — ed.) were handling the case in the commercial court under consideration by the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court. On the contrary, the case was handled by lawyers from the firm “Illiashev and Partners”*, while the focus of other lawyers, including Tolik, was on tax cases, bankruptcy cases, and others. These papers do not confirm that Anatoliy Rekun transferred any money to Horetskyi or discussed anything with Horetskyi and Zhevaho regarding illicit benefits to former Supreme Court head Knyazyev,” lawyer Soroka stated during the hearing.

(*According to the version of the investigation, for the sake of conspiracy, Horetskyi and his law association were not supposed to participate in the court case regarding the Poltava Mining and Processing Plant. Publicly, Zhevaho was represented in court by “Illiashev and Partners”).

On another occasion, a lost tax case involving the Poltava Mining and Processing Plant was discussed, and Zhevaho asked Horetskyi to take it on. He said that the materials would be delivered through Tolik (“If there are documents today, I’ll pass them through Tolik”).

Therefore, when on April 6, 2023, Zhevaho warned Horetskyi that Tolik would deliver documents amounting to 400 sheets, it could allegedly have been about the tax case. 

The lawyer points out that “Tolik” does not participate in conversations between Zhevaho and Horetskyi. On the contrary, Zhevaho asks him to disconnect after the conversation begins.

The 63-year-old lawyer Rekun denies involvement in corrupt arrangements.

— Zhevaho is indeed my client. Unlike others, he is a very decent person. Why do I say that?! The decision of the Shevchenkivskyi Court [of Kyiv] to recover one and a half billion hryvnias from Zhevago for guaranteeing before the National Bank. I told Zhevaho that the legislation is structured in such a way that you won’t have to comply with this. To which Zhevaho replied: “No, I won’t do that because I’m not Kolomoisky. I will pay.”

Lawyer Soroka expressed the opinion that the suspicion from NABU may be an attempt to pressure his client into also making a deal and testifying against Zhevaho. 

But Rekun categorically states that he will never distance himself from his client, regardless of whether he is holier than the Pope or not.

— I will work with my client, even if the whole world turns away from him. I have never been a mule — someone who carries money. And don’t pin that on me. I’m here because, unlike my colleague (Horetskyi — ed.), I didn’t want to turn into a being who has completely lost any human dignity. I understand when you’ve made promises and, to avoid something happening to you, to avoid going to jail, to protect yourself, you have to testify… I don’t know what a person thinks when they give one testimony, then earlier another, and in court yet another.

Personal motives of Horetskyi and compromising information on lawyers

Suspect Rekun and his defender claim that the main evidence in the case is the testimony of former lawyer Horetskyi, who made a deal with law enforcement. Moreover, he allegedly changed this testimony multiple times and had personal motives for doing so. How exactly he changed it is not specified, as the deal with Horetskyi was approved in a closed session.

The case materials only include Horetskyi’s interrogation from February 23, 2024 — a few months after the deal was approved and the day after the Supreme Court opened proceedings on complaints from Knyazyev’s and Zhevaho’s lawyers.

Indeed, the defenders of businessman Zhevaho and the former head of the Supreme Court continue to attempt to challenge the lenient sentence for Horetskyi, who became a key prosecution witness against their clients. The Appellate Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court has already twice refused to review the sentence regarding Horetskyi. Currently, the Supreme Court has reopened proceedings based on complaints from Zhevaho’s defenders.

Zhevaho’s lawyer, who is challenging Horetskyi’s sentence, Nataliya Pushyna, is Rekun’s partner.

— He (Horetskyi, — ed.) conveyed threats through Pushyna, with whom I live as a family, to change his previous testimony given during the pre-trial investigation regarding me. They differ from what is currently in the case materials… I’m afraid that instead of Horetskyi, I will become the main figure in this case,” Rekun stated during the court session.

Lawyer Pushyna testified during the selection of a preventive measure.

— As the defense side for Mr. Zhevaho, we are constantly under pressure. This applies to all lawyers without exception. This includes interference in personal life, collecting information about lawyers, and passing information to Horetskyi regarding lawyers for his own needs. 

The prosecutor reported during the court session that after the detention of Knyazyev and Horetskyi, Rekun organized a meeting in Paris for lawyer Vitaliy Naum, who represented Horetskyi at the time, with Zhevaho. Present at the meeting were Zhevaho’s lawyer Nataliya Pushyna and Rekun himself. NABU suggests that the possibility of Horetskyi not entering into a plea deal may have been discussed at that time.

Detectives learned about the trip from border service information regarding the joint border crossing by Rekun, Naum, and Pushyna on September 5, 2023, and their return on September 9. The car used by the lawyers belongs to a Ukrainian Member of Parliament. Zhevaho, interrogated by competent authorities of the French Republic, according to the prosecutor, confirmed the fact of the meeting.

Rekun and Pushyna claim that detectives collected this information about the lawyers illegally and even shared it with Horetskyi. A criminal case has been opened regarding this fact, and several lawyers, including Rekun, have been recognized as victims. It involves obtaining information from customs and border services about lawyers crossing the border. Additionally, in that criminal case, the alleged forgery of signatures by Horetskyi is reportedly being investigated.

In 2024, Horetskyi attempted to initiate disciplinary action against Zhevaho’s lawyer, Radyslav Tkachenko. And in doing so, he allegedly used information previously collected by NABU.

— Information was collected not only about me,” says Rekun. “This information was collected about MP Labunska, about lawyer Naum, who indeed crossed the border with me. I’ve known Naum for a long time, and we are working on one of the high-profile cases together… and we have at least three such cases. One of them is under consideration at the High Anti-Corruption Court. Naum crossed the border not to communicate with Zhevaho. He has clients in France and Switzerland. I also traveled to seminars in Strasbourg. Because I like my work as a lawyer. And I believe it is necessary. But the demonization of my knowledge by the prosecution side is unfortunate and a mistake. 

Lawyer Pushyna drew the investigating judge’s attention to the fact that the suspicion against Rekun appeared on September 3, 2025, when the court went into deliberation on a motion regarding a special investigation into Zhevaho. NABU allegedly anticipated a refusal. Lawyer Pushyna suggested that through Rekun, the investigation is trying to connect all the figures and avoid discrediting itself in the eyes of society. Moreover, these events are happening ahead of a court session in France regarding Zhevaho’s extradition and another hearing at the Supreme Court on complaints against Horetskyi’s sentence.