SSU: NABU detective Mahamedrasulov served new notice of suspicion for aiding conversion centers in schemes. PHOTO SCREENSHOTS
Ukraine’s Security Service (SSU), the Prosecutor General’s Office and the State Bureau of Investigation have announced new charges against a senior official from one of the interregional departments of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), who is currently in custody on suspicion of aiding the aggressor state.
This was reported by the SSU press centre, Censor.NET reports.
Law enforcement officials did not name the suspect, but case materials indicate it concerns Ruslan Mahamedrasulov.
According to the SSU, during the pre-trial investigation it was established that, in addition to assisting his father’s trade dealings with Russia, the NABU official used his connections and official influence to engage in illegal tax schemes involving Ukrainian businesses.
The SSU, the Prosecutor General’s Office and the SBI said they obtained this information, among other evidence, from the suspect’s phone.
Mahamedrasulov's connections
According to the case file, in the spring of this year, he allegedly received an offer from one of his contacts to resolve problematic issues with the tax authorities for a number of Ukrainian companies.
According to the intercepted correspondence, Ukraine’s State Tax Service was allegedly preparing unlawful decisions to remove about ten companies from the list of "risky" entities. This would have allowed the parties involved to conduct financial transactions worth nearly 30 million hryvnias.
An analysis of the firms’ activities indicates signs of their affiliation with a "conversion center" (a network used to funnel and launder funds).
According to the case file, in exchange for this "service", the contact promised to give the NABU official an undue advantage in the amount of UAH 900,000.
"According to the case file, the Bureau's detective accepted this offer and tried to resolve the issue through a former high-ranking official of the State Tax Service. He also sought help in this regard from a law enforcement officer with whom he had worked for some time at the NABU. During the interrogations, the aforementioned persons confirmed that the NABU employee had indeed addressed them with such a request," the SSU press centre said.
Based on the evidence collected, the NABU detective was served a new notice of suspicion under Part 2 of Art. 369-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (trading in influence).
"We emphasise once again: this criminal proceeding concerns an individual employee of the Anti-Corruption Bureau and has nothing to do with the effective work of the NABU as a state institution of Ukraine as a whole. As before, the SSU stands for constructive cooperation to strengthen institutional capacities, clear pro-Russian influence and strengthen the independence of our state," the SSU added.
Earlier, media outlets reported that Ruslan Mahamedrasulov, head of NABU’s interregional detective office who was detained by the SSU, was one of the key officials involved in documenting the activities of businessman and Kvartal 95 co-owner Tymur Mindich.
The SSU stated that one of the heads of NABU’s interregional detective offices, Ruslan Mahamedrasulov, was exposed for doing business with Russia.
Later, the Security Service of Ukraine denied that the detention and arrest of NABU officer Ruslan Mahamedrasulov were politically motivated.
