Official with a corruption trail Oleksandr Ruvin helps notorious Nasirov avoid prison

Official with a corruption trail Oleksandr Ruvin helps notorious Nasirov avoid prison

According to NABU and SAPO, the head of the State Fiscal Service, Roman Nasirov, caused damages to the Ukrainian budget amounting to 2 billion hryvnias.

The key document on which the entire accusation is based is a forensic economic examination conducted by specialists from the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise at the request of NABU. However, it later emerged that the director of this institute, Oleksandr Ruvin, subsequently withdrew this examination. The program «Schemes», a joint project of Radio Liberty and the «UA:First» TV channel, investigated how the authorities attempted to save Nasirov even before he was officially charged.

«What is Roman Nasirov accused of? The essence of the accusation is that companies, whose beneficiary is Mr. Onyshchenko, were granted deferrals on rent payments to the budget over a prolonged period without justification and in violation of legal requirements. Accordingly, the amount of damages, as determined by the economic examination conducted in the case, amounts to about two billion hryvnias,» stated Artem Sytnyk, the director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine.

During the briefing, NABU head Artem Sytnyk referred to the examination conducted by KNDISE

What lies behind such statements by the NABU director, and how did the detectives calculate the 2 billion hryvnias in damages caused by Roman Nasirov?

The text of the suspicion, read to him at the «Feofaniya» clinic, where the then-acting head of the SFS was admitted on March 2, is based on a key document – a forensic economic examination. This examination was conducted by two experts from the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise (KNDISE) at the request of NABU.

Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise, which prepared the examination in the Nasirov case

This is a key document that will be studied by the court to make a decision on the merits: whether Nasirov is guilty or not. However, as journalists from the «Schemes» program discovered, attempts were made to discredit it. The question of whose hands were used to undermine this key document in the Nasirov case may indicate how the authorities tried to save Nasirov even before the case became public.

The director of the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise, Oleksandr Ruvin, demanded the withdrawal of the examination from the case and its invalidation.

Director of the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise Oleksandr Ruvin (in the center)

A letter signed by him came into the possession of the «Schemes» program. In it, he informs NABU that the head of the SFS, Roman Nasirov, provided some additional materials and concludes that they allegedly have significant importance.

Oleksandr Ruvin attempted to withdraw the KNDISE examination

It is worth noting immediately the reaction to this letter at NABU. They believe that Ruvin acted unilaterally and that the withdrawal of an already completed expert opinion is not provided for by law.

«We emphasize that this examination is valid, and the director of the institution, in accordance with the Law «On Forensic Expertise» and other regulatory acts, has the right to make technical corrections to the experts’ conclusions only until the moment these conclusions are still within the institute. Once these conclusions are sent to the authorities that requested the examination, no changes are allowed,» said NABU press secretary Svitlana Olifira.

According to her, NABU detectives have already summoned KNDISE experts for questioning. And they confirmed the validity of the examination. «That is, they confirmed that this examination is valid and its conclusions are valid,» Olifira reported.

NABU has already appealed to the Ministry of Justice with a request to conduct an internal investigation into the actions of KNDISE director Ruvin regarding interference in the investigation.

Anti-corruption prosecutor Nazar Kholodnytskyi believes that the conclusion of the KNDISE experts was valid at the time of announcing the suspicion to Roman Nasirov. «For the prosecutor, this is sufficient to announce the suspicion and conduct the investigation. If there are any manipulations, we will investigate them,» he stated.

Head of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office Nazar Kholodnytskyi assured that the KNDISE experts’ conclusion was valid at the time of announcing the suspicion

Who is Oleksandr Ruvin, who attempted to interfere in the NABU proceedings against Nasirov, and how independent is he within the law enforcement and judicial system? After all, the examinations prepared by his subordinates form the basis of numerous court cases and play a key role in them.

Director of the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise Oleksandr Ruvin

Journalists from «Schemes» recalled an interesting meeting that was captured in the spring of the previous year. In May 2016, at a Kyiv restaurant in the «Leonardo» business center, Oleksandr Ruvin was spotted in the company of Pavlo Vovk, the head of the Kyiv District Administrative Court, and Oleksandr Hranovskyi, a member of parliament from the «Petro Poroshenko Bloc». The latter has repeatedly been referred to in the media as a government overseer of the prosecution and courts.

Head of the Kyiv District Administrative Court Pavlo Vovk, MP Oleksandr Granovsky, Director of the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise Oleksandr Ruvin with his son at the «Ink» restaurant in central Kyiv on May 16, 2016

It was the same Ruvin, who met with Granovsky, who attempted to interfere in the NABU proceedings and save Nasirov.

Journalists from «Schemes» sent a request to Oleksandr Ruvin asking him to comment on what prompted him to withdraw the key examination that calculated the damages caused to the budget by a high-ranking official. However, they received no response. An assistant to the director stated that he was on sick leave.

The journalists from «Schemes» also asked Oleksandr Hranovskyi what connects him to Oleksandr Ruvin. The MP from the Petro Poroshenko Bloc denied any influence over the head of the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise. «I have no influence over Ruvin,» he stated.

MP Oleksandr Hranovskyi denies any influence over Ruvin

Ultimately, the examination regarding the 2 billion hryvnias in damages to the budget did form the basis of the suspicion text against Roman Nasirov. However, the attempt by the director of the Kyiv Institute of Expertise, Oleksandr Ruvin, to withdraw it was a desperate effort to save Nasirov before the trial.