Appeal Upheld by Anti-Corruption Court Leaves Sentence for Nasirov - Six Years in Prison

The High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine (VAKS) has made a pivotal ruling that maintains the sentence handed down to Roman Nasirov, the former head of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine. According to Transparency International Ukraine, the court found Nasirov guilty of engaging in corrupt practices that resulted in substantial financial detriment to the state, sentencing him to six years of imprisonment and imposing a fine of 17,000 hryvnias. Furthermore, the court has prohibited him from holding any public office for a period of three years.

As reported by Ukrinform, the ruling of VAKS has come into legal force, meaning that all its provisions remain intact. However, the court also partially granted the appeal filed by Nasirov’s defense. The judges excluded references to the testimony of former official of the State Tax Service, Lyudmyla Solotva, from the verdict and recalculated the time served in pre-trial detention that will count towards his overall prison term. Additionally, Nasirov's arrest remains unchanged pending the resolution of a separate civil lawsuit filed by the company Ukrgazvydobuvannya.

In other respects, the judges rejected the appeals submitted by both Nasirov's defense and that of Volodymyr Novikov, leaving the original verdict unaltered. The appeal case was reviewed by judges Danyil Chornenkyi, Valerii Chornyi, and Ihor Panaiid, who made their decision based on the evidence and testimonies presented during the trial.

It is worth recalling that on October 31, 2025, VAKS imposed a punishment of six years of imprisonment on Roman Nasirov in a case known as the 'gas case' involving deputy Oleksandr Onyshchenko. According to the investigation, between 2015 and 2016, Nasirov allowed companies associated with the People’s Deputy from the Party of Regions, Onyshchenko, to evade payment of rent for the use of subsoil resources. These actions, according to the investigation, caused the state losses exceeding 2 billion hryvnias.

This case has become one of the most high-profile in the fight against corruption in Ukraine, drawing significant public and international attention. Transparency International Ukraine, which actively monitors the development of anti-corruption cases in the country, emphasized the importance of this ruling for the ongoing struggle against corruption within state structures. They highlighted that such verdicts can serve as a precedent for other officials who might be involved in similar corrupt schemes.

In conclusion, it is essential to note that corruption-related cases remain a pressing issue for Ukrainian society, and court decisions in such matters can significantly influence public trust in state institutions. An active discussion continues in Ukraine regarding the need for reforms in the law enforcement system and the improvement of mechanisms to oversee the activities of officials to prevent similar crimes in the future.

Photo: Transparency International Ukraine

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