The Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office will send an indictment against former State Fiscal Service Chief Roman Nasirov to court over allegations of abuse of office related to Hr 2 billion ($75 million) in tax evasion.
The move marks a significant step towards Nasirov going to trial over the allegations.
Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau completed its indictment of Nasirov on July 28. The former tax chief was arrested on March 2 before being released on Hr 100 million ($3.7 million) bail on March 7.
Nasirov, who was suspended from his position on March 3, is suspected of helping fugitive parliamentarian Oleksandr Onyshchenko evade Hr 2 billion taxes by illegally granting companies linked with him delays on their tax payments.
Nasirov faces up to 11 years in prison, if convicted.
After finishing a three month-long pre-trial investigation, the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office announced the results of the probe on their Facebook page.
“The defense (of Nasirov) has not provided evidence that would suggest the need to change the legal status away from criminal offenses, and moreover, towards the closure of criminal proceedings,” the post reads.
“The procedural heads are convinced that there is indisputable evidence that the suspect committed the crimes of which he is accused.”
The anti-corruption prosecutors have announced that they hope the court will follow the demands of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine – appoint a preliminary court hearing in no more than five days since receiving the indictment and assign a reserve judge to the case.
Nasirov is accused of abuse of office and forgery of documents.
The abuse of office charge carries a sentence of up to six years in prison, while the punishment for forgery extends up to five years behind bars.
American trip
Meanwhile, the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption did not find any violations in Nasirov’s visit to the inauguration ceremony of U.S. President Donald Trump on Jan. 20.
After Nasirov’s trip to the U.S., Finance Minister Oleksandr Danylyuk accused him of not getting approval for the trip from the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Finance, both of which oversee the work of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine. Danylyuk also said that the seat that Nasirov occupied at the inauguration might have cost him around $250,000, and it needs to be checked whether he included this money on his declaration.
The finance minister appealed to the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption in February, asking to check Nasirov’s trip for any violations.
The Agency sent an answer to Danylyuk on Nov. 11, saying that Nasirov didn’t break the law.
They reported that the Joint Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies of the U.S. Congress gave out around 250,000 free tickets that were distributed among American citizens for free.
They also wrote that the suspended tax service chief was invited to the inauguration by American friends.
