Evading punishment for three years: a judge convicted of taking a bribe was located and taken to a pre-trial detention center (SIZO)
Changed phones, routes and license plates: NABU has established the location of the fugitive judge
29 September 2026 the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office announced that it had established the whereabouts former judge of the Babushkinsky District Court of the city of Dnipropetrovsk, Andriy Leonov, who was sentenced to 11 years of imprisonment for receiving an unlawful benefit.
According to the SAP, detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine carried out operational-search measures and established the convict’s location. Currently Andriy Leonov has been taken to a pre-trial detention center.
According to law enforcement, after the verdict was announced Leonov avoided serving the sentence for more than 3 years and used various methods of concealment. Among them the SAP cites traveling along sparsely populated routes, disguising his appearance, constantly changing means of communication and substituting license plates on vehicles. Sometimes, according to the prosecutor’s office, the convict even used the uniform of an officer of the National Police of Ukraine.
The SAP and NABU exposed the then-judge in May 2018. According to the case materials, Leonov asked for a USD 30,000 unlawful benefit and received part of the funds — USD 15,000. The matter concerned a criminal proceeding that was before the judge. According to the prosecution, the money was to be handed over in exchange for issuing the desired decision.
27 March 2023 the High Anti-Corruption Court found Andriy Leonov guilty under part 4 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and sentenced him to 11 years of imprisonment. In addition, the court deprived him of the right to hold the position of judge for 3 years after serving the main sentence and ordered the confiscation of his property.
At the time the sentence was pronounced Andriy Leonov did not appear in court. He also did not appear for the hearing of his appeal. In June 2023 he was placed on the wanted list. The Appeal Chamber of the HACC in November 2023 left the imposed sentence unchanged, changing only a portion of the reasoning section of the verdict.
The Criminal Cassation Court as part of the Supreme Court on 15 September 2026 considered Leonov‘s cassation appeal. The court left unchanged the HACC verdict of 27 March 2023 and the decision of the HACC Appeal Chamber of 2 November 2023. Thus, the decision on 11 years of imprisonment remained in force. Now, after his whereabouts were established, the convict has been brought to a pre-trial detention center to serve the sentence imposed by the court.
