Ukraine's Navy Legislation Enforcement Service canceled on April 10 an order to draft Roman Nasirov, the previous head of the State Fiscal Service who’s accused of taking hefty bribes, days after he was mobilized.
The transfer got here after Transparency Worldwide Ukraine reported on April 9 that Nasirov had been "voluntarily" mobilized into Ukraine's Armed Forces amid the court docket proceedings, with Nasirov's lawyer asking to droop the case.
In 2023, Ukraine’s Nationwide Anti-Corruption Bureau concluded that Nasirov, throughout his tenure as the top of the service from 2015 to 2016, had acquired $5.5 million for granting Hr 540 million ($13 million) in fraudulent value-added tax (VAT) refunds to an agricultural holding firm in 2015.
Later in 2016, he allegedly acquired one other 21 million euros ($23 million) for granting Hr 2.7 billion ($65 million) in unlawful VAT refunds.
Ukrainian businessman Oleh Bakhmatyuk, proprietor of the agricultural holding Ukrlandfarming, was arrested in absentia on March 7, 2023, on prices of allegedly giving bribes to Nasirov and his adviser.
The bribe was estimated at round Hr 722 million ($19.3 million) and was supposed to safe VAT reimbursement for entities below Bakhmatyuk's management, in accordance with Ukraine’s Particular Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Workplace (SAPO).
Nasirov was first arrested in March 2017, when he was nonetheless in workplace on the tax service. He was then suspected of embezzling Hr 2 billion ($49.8 million) with the controversial businessman and lawmaker Oleksandr Onyshchenko.
Nasirov has denied all wrongdoing. In Might final yr, he was launched from custody on bail of Hr 55 million (round $1.4 million).
"Zero tolerance for corruption is being established throughout the Armed Forces. Due to this fact, any steps aimed toward discrediting the Ukrainian military shall be handled severely," Ukraine's navy stated.
In response to the assertion, Nasirov was mobilized on April 7 on the order of the commander of the navy unit A0139 of Ukraine's a hundred and first Guard Brigade of Normal Employees, subordinated to the Important Command Middle of Ukraine's Armed Forces.
Nasirov was supposed to hitch the military as a sapper, Ukrinform reported on April 9, citing an obtained doc.
Quickly after, the brigade commander labeled the order illegal and canceled it. An inner investigation was launched on the grounds of attainable abuse of energy, the assertion learn.
The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek