The Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine has upheld the conviction of Roman Nasirov, the former head of the State Fiscal Service. The court’s decision, announced on April 2, was confirmed by Transparency International Ukraine, a civil anti-corruption organization.
While the court partially granted the defense’s appeal, it removed references to the testimony of former tax official Lyudmyla Solotvy and recalculated the time served in pre-trial detention that will count towards Nasirov’s sentence. However, the court maintained the arrest pending a separate civil lawsuit from Ukrgazvydobuvannya.
In its ruling, the court rejected the remaining appeals from Nasirov and his associate Volodymyr Novikov, affirming the original sentence. Nasirov is to serve six years in prison, pay a fine of 17,000 UAH, and is barred from holding public office for three years. Novikov was acquitted, and the verdict has now gained legal force, according to Transparency International.
Novikov sought to amend the wording of his acquittal, while Nasirov maintained that there was insufficient evidence to support the charges against him, asserting his innocence in the matter.
Nasirov and Novikov faced accusations of committing a crime under Part 2 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which pertains to abuse of office resulting in severe consequences.
The prosecution alleged that between 2015 and 2016, Nasirov, acting in the interests of a member of the Ukrainian Parliament from the eighth convocation, personally approved a series of “unjustified and illegal decisions” regarding the deferral of tax debts and obligations for several companies. According to investigators, these decisions were made without proper justification and led to a loss of over 2 billion UAH in state budget revenue. Both Nasirov and his defense team have denied these allegations.
Nasirov is also implicated in another case. On October 17, 2022, detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) announced suspicions of his involvement in receiving a substantial bribe, alongside his advisor. Proceedings in this case are ongoing.
The High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine has confirmed the conviction of Roman Nasirov, former head of the State Fiscal Service, for abuse of office, while also addressing aspects of his defense appeal. Nasirov is set to serve six years in prison and pay a fine, amidst ongoing investigations into additional allegations.