Over the past decade of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine's work, a significant number of high-profile criminal proceedings against members of former President Viktor Yanukovych's inner circle have not resulted in court verdicts. Some cases were closed due to the expiration of the statute of limitations, others due to procedural errors or settlements.
This is evidenced by the analysis of a number of high-profile cases that have remained in the spotlight for many years.
One of the most famous was the case of businessman Serhiy Kurchenko. According to the investigation, the activities of his structures caused losses to the state in the amount of about 2.6 billion hryvnias. Kurchenko himself is abroad, and one of his associates received a suspended sentence without confiscation of property in this case.
Another high-profile investigation involved former Minister of Revenues and Duties Oleksandr Klymenko. It involved a so-called “tax haven” scheme, through which the budget could have lost over 100 billion hryvnias, according to investigators. However, this case was later closed.
The case regarding procurement in the Ministry of Health during the time of Minister Raisa Bohatyryova also failed to reach a verdict. It involved the embezzlement of hundreds of millions of hryvnias during state procurement of medicines. However, the High Anti-Corruption Court refused to recognize Bohatyryova as a suspect due to procedural violations during the presentation of the suspicion.
Another case involved former Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Andriy Klyuyev. According to the investigation, the state suffered losses of about 195 million hryvnias. However, the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court canceled his arrest in absentia, noting that there was insufficient evidence in the case materials for such a decision.
The criminal proceedings against former Minister of Agrarian Policy Mykola Prysyazhnyuk were closed by NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.
At the same time, the case of former Energy Minister Eduard Stavytsky has not had any legal results for many years. The media also mentioned information about his meeting in Israel with former First Deputy Director of NABU Gizo Uhlava, which raised additional questions from the public.
Experts note that the large number of procedural errors, long investigation periods, and the complexity of the international search for the suspects have significantly complicated the prospects of bringing these cases to real verdicts.
