Paris Court's refusal to extradite Zhevago to Ukraine takes effect – lawyers

The decision of Paris Court of Appeal dated October 29, 2025 on the refusal of the NABU and SAPO to extradite Ukrainian businessman Kostiantyn Zhevago has come into force as final, the businessman's lawyers report.

"The French prosecutor's office agreed with the decision of Paris Court and decided not to appeal it to the Supreme Court of France. This is the second refusal by the French justice authorities to extradite Mr. Zhevago," their statement reads on Wednesday.

The lawyers recalled that the extradition request for Zhevago was initiated by the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine (PGO) and NABU within the framework of the investigation of criminal proceedings related to the alleged provision of an illegal benefit to a representative of the judiciary.

As reported, the extradition request for Zhevago was initiated by the PGO and the NABU as part of the investigation of criminal proceedings in which law enforcement officers accuse the businessman of providing an illegal benefit to Chairman of the Supreme Court Vsevolod Kniazev.

In turn, Zhevago rejected the accusation and declared his non-involvement in the incriminated actions, his willingness to assist the investigation, and regarded the case as an attempt at political persecution and pressure. Among other things, his lawyers criticized the decision of the Ukrainian court to conduct a special investigation (without the participation of the suspect) and emphasized the possibility of conducting investigative actions within the framework of international legal assistance, since the NABU detective and the SAPO prosecutor had previously personally arrived in France to interrogate Zhevago.

This is the second refusal by the French court to extradite a Ukrainian businessman. At the end of March 2023, a court in Chambery (France) rejected the request of the State Bureau of Investigation and the Prosecutor General's Office for the extradition of Zhevago in another case - for accusations, together with a number of top managers of the Finance and Credit bank, of organizing a mechanism for embezzling $113 million and harming the interests of the state and the bank's depositors.