The HACC has found former head of the State Fiscal Service Roman Nasirov guilty of abuse of office. The court sentenced him to six years in prison and imposed a fine of UAH 17,000, along with a three-year ban on holding positions in state or local government and in state-owned enterprises involving managerial functions. His interim measure was changed to detention in custody, and the bail was returned to the guarantors.
His alleged accomplice (according to the prosecution), former SFS department head Volodymyr Novikov, was acquitted, as the court found no elements of a crime in his actions. His bail was returned, and all restrictions lifted.
The court also rejected the civil claim filed by representatives of Ukrgasvydobuvannya, the injured party.
Nasirov was taken into custody in the courtroom.
According to the prosecution, in 2015–2016, Nasirov illegally granted installment payments for rent payments on the use of subsoil resources to companies controlled by Oleksandr Onyshchenko — Firm Khas LLC, Nadra Heotsentr LLC, and Karpatnadrainvest LLC. As a result, the state suffered losses of around UAH 2 billion.
The prosecution argued that Nasirov conspired with Novikov and unlawfully instructed subordinates to defer the tax debts of these companies. Prosecutors had requested a six-year sentence for Nasirov and five and a half years for Novikov, while Ukrgazvydobuvannya sought to recover UAH 44.8 million in damages.
The defense claims that Nasirov acted within the limits of his powers, and that the decision on deferred payments was made by the relevant divisions of the State Fiscal Service. They also emphasized that the measure did not exempt companies from paying taxes and that no criminal or disciplinary proceedings were ongoing against the mentioned firms for tax evasion.
The verdict was delivered after eight years of proceedings, six of which the case was heard by the HACC. The trial was marked by numerous delays, recusals, absences, and lengthy defense speeches.
Given that the statute of limitations expires in April 2026, the appeal process now has roughly six months to be completed.