Employees of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau use extra-procedural influence and pressure on citizens involved in open criminal proceedings to use them to arrange bribery provocations for top officials.
This became known during a court hearing of the High Anti-Corruption Court, which considered the choice of a preventive measure for former MP Vadym Nesterenko. The NABU suspects him of illegally receiving monetary compensation for renting an apartment in Kyiv while performing his parliamentary duties.
“It turned out that back in October 2024, Nesterenko was contacted by a lawyer who offered his professional assistance in his defense in this case. This lawyer is actually connected with NABU employees who systematically provoke bribes against various officials,” Ukrainian News writes.
In particular, Nesterenko was offered to take part in provoking a bribe to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko. In exchange, the lawyer guaranteed that the NABU and the SAPO would not raise the issue of choosing a preventive measure for Nesterenko and would agree to re-qualify the case.
“At the same time, prosecutors and detectives themselves offered suspect Nesterenko the opportunity to find a way to transfer the bribe at his own discretion. However, the former MP was not in a relationship with Klitschko and certainly did not have such an opportunity,” Nesterenko's defense noted.
Evidence of such extra-procedural influence and pressure on the suspect was also presented at the trial - a statement by Nesterenko himself and screenshots of his correspondence with the provocateur's “lawyer”.
Earlier, investigative journalist Yuriy Nikolov statedthat the NABU has forgotten how to work and has turned into an institution whose purpose is not to fight corruption, but to boast about its performance and “whitewash” defendants in cases. In his opinion, “it is easier to close the Anti-Corruption Bureau and sell the building”.