Lawyer on the case of NABU employee Magamedrasulov: we cannot determine whether a person is guilty or not by voting on Facebook

Public statements regarding the investigation of a particular crime cannot overshadow or impede criminal proceedings. There is a legally prescribed procedure, not a public discussion or voting on social networks. This opinion was expressed in a comment to UNN by lawyer Oleh Shram, commenting on the statements that have begun to circulate around the case of NABU official Ruslan Magamedrasulov, who is accused of trading with the Russian Federation.

Oleh Shram noted that despite the freedom of speech that exists in Ukraine, only the words of the parties to the process matter in criminal proceedings.

"That is, if you are defending yourself in criminal proceedings - there are appropriate procedures, the procedure for submitting evidence, filing motions with the investigator, with the prosecutor, initiating investigative actions, independently collecting and submitting evidence. And here we see such a public story that is not related to criminal proceedings. It looks like an attempt to form public opinion, that is, to shift the defense from the plane of examining evidence, circumstances of criminal proceedings in accordance with criminal procedural legislation, to the plane of publicity, so that everyone can decide for themselves whether the person is guilty or not, or to form an opinion of their innocence or guilt in such a format," the lawyer explained.

Shram emphasized that strict adherence to legally prescribed procedures is necessary, not a vote on whether a person is guilty or not on the street or on social networks.

The lawyer also noted that he had not seen the position of the defense and whether it actually agreed with the statements currently being made in support of Magamedrasulov.

"And I would like to see what the defense thinks about this, and if this is the actual position of the defense, then whether they filed, appealed with relevant motions to the investigating prosecutors, and whether such motions and evidence were given an appropriate assessment. And everything else is just an attempt to either form public opinion or influence public opinion in order to show the suspect in a different light, or to compromise the actions of law enforcement officers in this case," the lawyer believes.

Recall

The Security Service of Ukraine accused NABU employee Ruslan Magamedrasulov and his father Sentyabr of allegedly selling industrial hemp to representatives of the Russian economy.

The SBU claims that Magamedrasulov allegedly acted as an intermediary in the sale of industrial hemp batches to the Republic of Dagestan (Russia). Its illegal cultivation, according to law enforcement, was organized by his father.

Ruslan Magamedrasulov was arrested on July 21. On July 22, a court in Kyiv sent him into custody until September 16 without the right to bail. Lawyers plan to appeal the court's decision.

At the same time, after the detention of the NABU employee and his father, some activists began to make statements that the detainees were being accused without evidence and deprived of the right to defense.