"Zelenskyy is building corrupt authoritarianism during martial law" - AntAC on Shabunin’s suspicion
The suspicion of the AntAC head Vitalii Shabunin is an exemplary punishment to demonstrate that the authorities can do anything to anyone in the country.
According to Censor.NET, the Anti-Corruption Action Center wrote about this in a column on UP.
In the statement, the AntAC notes that Zelenskyy is building corrupt authoritarianism during martial law, and the case against Shabunin is nothing more than a demonstrative punishment to show that the authorities can do anything to anyone in the country - no matter how absurd it may seem.
It is also noted that Bankova, through the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) controlled by Tatarov and anonymous Telegram channels, is trying to turn Vitalii Shabunin into a "tax evader" and a "fraudster."
The SBI served Shabunin with a notice of suspicion for "evasion of military service" and "fraud" (under Part 4 of Article 409 and Part 2 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code). At the same time, searches were conducted at Vitalii's place of service east of Chuhuiv and in Kyiv at the house where his family currently lives. All these searches took place without a court order, with numerous violations and without the participation of lawyers. Investigators seized Vitaliy's phone, his wife's phone, and even the phones and tablets of his young children.
The AntAC emphasizes that the SBI's suspicion was preceded for more than a year by systematic attempts to discredit Vitaliy through pro-government Telegram channels on the very charges that the SBI mentioned in its official communication. Therefore, we will focus on them in detail.
It is also noted that Shabunin voluntarily officially mobilized into the Armed Forces from the beginning of the full-scale invasion on February 25, 2022. He took part in the defense of Kyiv, and after the Russians retreated in the spring, he served in the territorial defence in a unit stationed in the Kyiv region. He served in Donetsk region and in Kyiv. In recent months - in Kharkiv region.
Each time, he was at the location of the unit where, in accordance with the military orders of his superiors, he was on military service.
As the AntAC emphasizes, the SBI charges relate to the episode and period of time from September 2022 to February 2023, when Vitaliy was seconded to the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) during the stay of his territorial defence unit in Sukholuchchia, Kyiv region.
The SBI's accusations are absolutely absurd, as he was seconded to the NAPC in accordance with an order that he, as a soldier, simply could not fail to obey. Failure to comply with an order is a direct violation of the law.
"Again, at that time, his territorial defence unit was stationed in Sukholuchchia, so the accusation of the SBI and government-controlled Telegram channels that he could have "evaded military service at the front line" is meaningless. After completing his business trip to the NACP, Vitaliy went to Donetsk region with his unit and did his military service there," the statement reads.
During his secondment to the NACP, Vitaliy was engaged in promoting anti-corruption changes and reforms, including in the defense sector. In particular, he was involved in the restoration of electronic declaration, planning and development of solutions to reduce abuses in defense procurement, which were later adopted at the legislative level after the infamous scandal with "17 UAH eggs".
According to the SBI, Shabunin's "fraudulent actions" are that, while on a business trip to the NAPC, Vitaliy received a military salary and allegedly took possession of these funds by fraud.
"Since Vitaliy was fulfilling the order of the command to go on a business trip to the NACP, there is no reason to assert any misappropriation of any funds. It was an official salary of a serviceman," the AntAC emphasizes.
Shabunin received standard military benefits: UAH 20 thousand of cash support and an additional remuneration (not "combat") of UAH 30 thousand, which was provided for all military personnel without exception at that time, regardless of their place of service (Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine #168 of 28.02.2022 in force at the end of 2022 - beginning of 2023).
The amount that, according to the SBI, Shabunin illegally seized, causing "material damage to the state budget in the person of the military unit" is UAH 224,249.49, of which. UAH 183,811.06 is the salary of a serviceman, and UAH 40,438.43 is the unified social tax paid.
"It remains an absurd mystery how the unified social tax accrued and paid by the military unit to the budget can be regarded as losses for the state budget," the AntAC emphasizes.
The suspicion against Vitalii Shabunin does not contain a single word about the alleged illegal use of a 2005 car purchased for him as a military officer by a charitable foundation.
However, the SBI mentions this in an absolutely manipulative manner in its official release, similar to anonymous Telegram channels.
Earlier, Vitalii himself and the benefactors who financed the purchase of this car in the name of Shabunin as an individual had already explained the legality of these actions.
According to the AntAC, during the investigative actions, lawyers who managed to arrive after the fact recorded numerous violations by the SBI:
- First of all, all searches were conducted without any court orders, although the investigation was launched in December 2023. The investigators did not provide any arguments or grounds for conducting an urgent search without a court order;
- Both in the house in Kyiv and in Kharkiv region, the searches were organized in such a way that the lawyers could not arrive on time and take all measures to respect their rights, the investigators deliberately did not wait for the lawyers;
- During the search in Kharkiv region, the seizure of most equipment and items was not recorded on video. In particular, SBI investigators seized equipment of unknown origin that could have been planted. It is possible that this was done to organize future provocations and discrediting campaigns;
- Investigators seized a number of items that have nothing to do with the substance of the criminal proceedings (personal equipment of his wife and children, Vitalii's watch);
- Upon the arrival of the lawyers and their attempts to record the proceedings, the SBI threatened to seize the lawyers' phones.
Representatives of the SBI completed the investigation only last night. They said they would request a preventive measure for Shabunin in the form of a personal commitment. The time of the trial is not yet known.
Currently, Shabunin is in Kharkiv region at his place of military service.
"We are convinced that in addition to illegal persecution, the searches are an attempt by the authorities to gain access to information about the activities of the Anti-Corruption Action Center. We expect further provocations. We would like to remind you that the rulings in this criminal proceeding are systematically illegally made public, including the personal data of Vitaliy and his family members," the AntAC summarized.
