None of the defendants in NABU cases among Yanukovych's friends have been convicted yet – Media
Kyiv • UNN
Most high-profile cases against officials from Yanukovych's era have been closed or suspended without verdicts. The defendants are at large, and damages have not been compensated.
Not a single case against Yanukovych's inner circle, which is being handled by NABU, has resulted in a court verdict. Some of them have already been closed. This was reported by "Economic News", according to UNN.
"More than 12 years have passed since the Revolution of Dignity and almost 11 years since the establishment of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau. The absolute majority of cases against the main architects of the regime of fugitive president Viktor Yanukovych eventually ended up in the Bureau's proceedings. In general, the most high-profile corruption cases, which at one time made headlines due to the top-level officials involved, mostly ended in nothing after 5-10 years. The maximum result, in essence, comes down to 'declared wanted'. And a number of these cases have been closed: either 'by agreement' or due to the expiration of the investigation period," the publication commented.
According to its data, Serhiy Kurchenko, who is accused of creating a criminal organization, seizing funds from state enterprises (Ukrnafta, Ukrgasvydobuvannya) through manipulations with liquefied gas, with damages estimated at UAH 2.6 billion, is at large and abroad. And his accomplice got off with an agreement with the SAP - even without confiscation of property, "Economic News" emphasized.
The case of former Minister of Revenues and Duties Oleksandr Klymenko, according to journalists, was no less resonant: he was suspected of creating conversion centers, which caused damages to the budget of over UAH 100 billion. As of now, the "Klymenko case" has essentially ended in nothing, just as the damages caused to the state have not been compensated, they noted.
Also, the authors of the material reported, former Minister of Health Raisa Bohatyryova has not been punished or imprisoned. NABU and SAP accused her of embezzling UAH 63.5 million on purchases of immunobiological drugs and UAH 279 million on insulins, they wrote.
According to their information, in the case of Andriy Klyuyev, whom NABU and SAP accused of embezzlement and seizure of over UAH 195 million, the HACC canceled the absentee arrest of the main defendant back in 2020. Currently, there is no verdict in the proceedings, and Klyuyev is abroad, they stated.
In the context of Medvedchuk's cases, "Economic News" wrote, the issue of realizing the assets of Yanukovych's former closest associate was brought to the attention of anti-corruption bodies. The HACC's ruling prohibited ARMA from realizing (alienating) movable and immovable property that directly and indirectly belongs to him, the publication informed.
Only regarding Yanukovych himself, journalists emphasized, in January of this year, the panel of judges of the HACC announced a guilty verdict - he was sentenced to 15 years of arrest in the case of the "Mezhyhirya" residence and 104 hectares of land with damages to the state of over UAH 540 million. However, no one is actually serving a real punishment in the case, which NABU investigated for over 6 years, "Economic News" concluded.