The HACC found former SFS head Roman Nasirov guilty of abuse of office.
What was Nasirov charged with?
Nasirov was charged with issuing an unlawful order to grant installment repayment of monetary obligations on subsoil use fees and tax debt — in connection with the Onyshchenko gas scheme. The state sustained approximately UAH 2 billion in losses.
The investigation into former MP Oleksandr Onyshchenko began in 2015. According to the NABU, Onyshchenko organized a scheme whereby gas from state-owned Ukrgazvydobuvannya was sold to controlled companies through fictitious exchanges at below-market prices, which then resold the gas to consumers at market rates — profiting from the price differential while the state incurred losses.
Anti-corruption authorities allege that Nasirov's role was to issue unlawful instructions to SFS subordinates to grant installment repayment of tax debts owed by Firm Khas LLC, Nadra Heotsentr LLC, and Karpatnadrainvest LLC — all three controlled by Onyshchenko.
According to the investigation, heads of SFS regional directorates in Kharkiv, Poltava, and Dnipropetrovsk Regions, acting under Nasirov's direction, submitted false reports claiming the companies faced bankruptcy risks. In reality, no such risks existed: the companies steadily purchased gas from the state at cost price while their tax debt grew. Reporting deliberately omitted previously granted installment arrangements and tax payment deadlines, in violation of the law.
Investigators assert that at Nasirov's direction, SFS territorial unit staff prepared positive assessments supporting installment repayment where no legal grounds existed. In December 2015, Nasirov amended the terms of previously granted arrangements, shifting debt payment deadlines to Jan 1, 2016 — again in breach of the law. Two forensic economic expert examinations confirmed that Nasirov's actions between May 2015 and March 2016 may have caused the state to forfeit over UAH 2 billion in revenue.
The defense argued that Nasirov acted within his authority and that installment decisions were made by the relevant SFS units. It also stressed that installment repayment did not constitute a tax exemption and that no criminal proceedings or internal investigations for tax evasion had been opened against the companies.
Proceedings and public context
In 2017, Nasirov was suspended from office; in early 2018, the Cabinet dismissed him as SFS head. The notorious District Administrative Court of Kyiv subsequently reinstated him — though Nasirov himself later withdrew his claims.
That same year, a SAPO prosecutor revealed that Nasirov held British and Hungarian citizenship. His British citizenship was confirmed by Ukraine's then-Ambassador to the United Kingdom. In spring 2021, Nasirov also attempted to obtain a repatriation visa to Israel — a move the court assessed as a possible precondition for leaving Ukraine.
Nasirov also pursued a political career. In 2019, despite the serious charges against him, he ran for President of Ukraine, finishing near the bottom of the rankings.
He is also known for the incident in which he was served a suspicion notice at Feofania hospital and transported to court wrapped in a checkered blanket.
During the trial's closing arguments stage, on April 9, 2025, it emerged that Nasirov had voluntarily enlisted in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Military Law Enforcement Service announced the very next day, however, that his commanding officer had deemed the conscription order unlawful and revoked it, with all materials forwarded to law enforcement for review.
The SAPO prosecutor subsequently filed a motion to extend Nasirov's pre-trial measure and sought his detention, with bail set as an alternative at UAH 75 million. She characterized his enlistment attempt as an effort to evade the verdict. Nasirov countered that the motion violated his constitutional duty to defend Ukraine's independence and territorial integrity.
The HACC ordered him held in custody for 60 days with a bail alternative; bail was posted, and he was released.
Also implicated in the case is former SFS department head Volodymyr Novikov, allegedly Nasirov's accomplice. Former unit head Liudmyla Solotva is also allegedly involved (separate proceedings against her are ongoing).
Prior to the HACC's establishment, the case was heard by Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv. In October 2019, it was transferred to the HACC. The case spent a total of eight years in courts of first instance. Nasirov was charged under Article 364(2) and Article 366(1) of the Criminal Code. In September 2023, he was discharged from liability for official forgery due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.
Nasirov's accomplice Volodymyr Novikov was charged under Article 27(5) and Article 364(2) of the Criminal Code.
The HACC found Nasirov guilty and sentenced him to six years in prison, a UAH 17,000 fine, and a three-year ban from holding positions in state authorities, local self-government bodies, and enterprises involving organizational and managerial functions. His restraint measure was changed to pre-trial detention.
Novikov was acquitted, as the court found no corpus delicti in his actions.
The HACC Appeals Chamber subsequently partially granted the defense appeals. The panel removed references to the testimony of former State Tax Service official Liudmyla Solotva and recalculated the pre-trial detention period. Nasirov had been held in custody from March 2 to 16, 2017; from April 24 to May 9, 2025; and from October 31, 2025 to April 2, 2026. The Appeals Chamber applied a one-day-to-two-days ratio for pre-trial detention (a consequence of the “Savchenko law”) — whereas the first-instance court had applied the day-for-two rule only to the March 2–16, 2017 period.
The asset freeze securing Ukrgazvydobuvannya's civil claim in separate proceedings was left in place. All remaining defense appeals by Nasirov and Novikov were dismissed and the verdict otherwise upheld.
Other charges against Nasirov
In a separate case, Nasirov is also charged with receiving what was at the time a record bribe of UAH 722 million — allegedly paid by agriholding Ukrlandfarming owner Oleh Bakhmatiuk. This case has been joined with proceedings against Nasirov's father-in-law, businessman Oleksandr Hlimbovskyi. Trial in the consolidated case is ongoing.
28/10/2019
Imprisonment
