The Prosecutor General’s Office on Dec. 23 took a bribery case against President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Deputy Chief of Staff Oleg Tatarov from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), prompting accusations that it is protecting the suspect.
The case was given to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), which is believed by civic watchdogs to be more politically dependent and less effective than the NABU. It is run by Zelensky’s friend Ivan Bakanov.
Zelensky and his protege, Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova, have been accused of blocking the Tatarov case ever since information on the investigation first surfaced on Dec. 1. Tatarov is among the numerous influential suspects whose cases are being blocked by Venediktova’s office.
Zelensky’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Tatarov is under investigation in a case linked to Maksym Mykytas, a former lawmaker and ex-president of state-owned construction firm Ukrbud. Mykytas has been charged with alleged embezzlement conducted through an Ukrbud housing development contract for Ukraine’s National Guard. On Dec. 18, Tatarov, who used to serve as a lawyer for Ukrbud, was charged with bribing forensic expert Kostyantyn Dubonos on behalf of Mykytas to get false evaluation results that helped the company.
Tatarov denies the accusations.
Commenting on the transfer of the Tatarov case, Venediktova said she had recused herself from the decision on the transfer and it was made by her deputy Oleksiy Symonenko.
“Reactions on any criminal investigation must be based exclusively on the lawfulness of decisions,” she said. “Emotions and self-promotion are not helpful in our profession.”
The decision was made after Serhiy Vovk, a controversial Pechersk Court judge, on Dec. 14 ordered Venediktova to take the case away from the NABU. Later the decision was upheld by the Supreme Court.
The NABU lambasted the transfer on Dec. 24, saying that the law explicitly forbids transferring bribery cases, which are within the NABU’s jurisdiction, to other law enforcement agencies.
“The Prosecutor General’s Office has intentionally made an unlawful decision that blatantly violates the requirements of Ukraine’s Criminal Procedure Code,” the NABU said.
The NABU also said that “instead of protecting the interests of the state, which incurred losses due to the suspect’s actions, the Prosecutor General’s Office is de facto protecting him.”
“These actions completely discredit a state body whose actions must be based on the rule of law, justice, fairness, lack of bias and objectivity,” the bureau added. “The Prosecutor General’s Office spurned all of this to protect an official suspected of corruption.”
The High Anti-Corruption Court was scheduled to consider arresting Tatarov and setting bail for him on Dec. 24. However, due to the transfer of the case it had to postpone the hearing to Dec. 28.
Zelensky has also been accused of protecting Tatarov by failing to suspend him during the investigation.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an aide to Zelensky’s Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak, claimed on Dec. 21 that Tatarov had asked the President’s Office to suspend him. The Anti-Corruption Action Center accused the President’s Office of lying, since no official documents on Tatarov’s suspension have been published.
Later the censor.net news site reported that Tatarov keeps going to work and has not been suspended. Tatarov confirmed this information on Dec. 24, saying that he keeps working.
The Tatarov-Mykytas case involves many influential powerbrokers. Mykytas has testified that he bribed ex-Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman, ex-National Guard head Yuriy Allerov and Serhiy Moysak, a judge of the High Anti-Corruption Court, according to the censor.net news site. They all deny the accusations of wrongdoing.
On Dec. 1, NABU and anti-corruption prosecutors charged Mykytas with bribery, and he agreed to a plea bargain.
Mykytas’ accomplices, Olena Soloma and Alysa Grynchuk, also agreed to a plea bargain. On Nov. 16, Grynchuk was handed a 4-year suspended sentence as part of the plea bargain, while Soloma received a 3-year suspended sentence.
