During the period from 2014 to 2020, the Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Oleg Tatarov, participated in the scientific support of the defense of dissertations of more than 59 scientists from 6 institutions of higher education. Most of these people today have outstanding careers in the field of law enforcement, occupying important positions and participating in the resolution of landmark cases, in particular, the cases of Sternenko and Denys Yermak.
According to journalists, the specified 59 persons defended their theses under the scientific guidance of Oleg Tatarov or at the defense where he was a scientific opponent during the above-mentioned period, when Tatarov did not hold a position in the government.
Among the persons who defended theses under the supervision of Oleg Tatarov or in which he was a scientific opponent, the following names stand out:
- Stanislav Svyridenko, a lawyer who represented the interests of Iryna Kuznetsova, the wife of one of the attackers of activist Serhiy Sternenko;
- Svitlana Shaputko, judge of the Pechersk District Court, who practically supported the sentence of Roman Ratushny to house arrest;
- Svitlana Smyk, a judge of the Pechersk District Court, who initially delayed the consideration of the case about President Zelensky's untimely declaration of receipt of 2.5 million hryvnias for the sale of bonds, and then closed it. It is also known because of the case of the abbot of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Pavlo Lebid, the auto-distribution of the judges in this case had signs of corruption;
- Vita Bortnytska, a judge of the Pechersk District Court, who, before retiring, made a decision to seize Petro Poroshenko's property.
In connection with the cases of Serhiy Sternenko and his supporters, who organized the protest on Bankova, it was noted that judge Svitlana Shaputko, prosecutor Oleg Bilous and lawyer Stanislav Svyridenko are related to Oleg Tatarov. It is believed that there is a systemic connection between Tatarov and these persons who defended themselves from prosecution.
"Evidence that it was Tatarov who established these connections has not been found. In the role of deputy head of the Office of the President, he does not have official personnel powers. But there is de jure and de facto. It is known that Tatarov influences the law enforcement bloc. It is hard to believe that the Office of the President had no influence on the formation of the leadership of these bodies. Having your own lawyers and connections in the investigation, prosecutor's office, and courts, you can generally influence court decisions," said lawyer Vadym Valko from the Anti-Corruption Center.
The investigation states: "There is reason to suspect that this unofficial network, connected to Tatarov, will be used by the authorities to solve many more scandalous cases."
Oleg Tatarov was appointed to the position of deputy head of the Office of the President on August 5, 2020. Previously, he worked as the deputy head of the Main Investigative Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs under the leadership of Vitaly Zakharchenko during the Revolution of Dignity. Tatarov oversaw criminal proceedings against activists of the Revolution of Dignity.
