Case description
Former MP Ruslan Solvar was accused of receiving unreasonable compensation for renting accommodation in Kyiv. At first, he was acquitted, but then sentenced to 3 years.
Ruslan Solvar was a member of the Verkhovna Rada of the VII convocation. Since 2014, he was renting a room at the Kyiv Hotel, for which he rightfully received compensation from the budget, which is provided for MPs who do not have housing in or near the capital.
In 2017, he inherited an apartment in Kyiv, so he had a place to live, but he did not refuse compensation. It was only after a high-profile journalistic investigation that Solvar filed a request to stop payments.
Since the MP received his apartment in Kyiv, he managed to receive over UAH 361,000 in compensation. The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office served him with a suspicion notice under Article 364, part 2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The HACC did not find Solvar guilty under this article, but the judges concluded that he could have committed fraud. However, the case was not re-qualified because according to the Criminal Procedure Code, the court cannot do so if it worsens the position of the accused.
The appellate instance heard the arguments of the parties, in particular that Solvar did not refuse compensation, and issued a new guilty verdict against the former MP. Solvar was sentenced to 3 years in prison, a UAH 8,500 fine, and a one-year ban from holding public office.
The defense disagreed with the decision of the appellate instance and filed a cassation appeal. Based on the results of the review, the Supreme Court overturned the decision of the HACC AC and referred the case for a new hearing in the appellate instance. The reason for overturning the sentence was the erroneous qualification of Solvar's actions—abuse of office instead of abuse of authority.
It was reported that in June 2024, Solvar mobilized into the Armed Forces. In late August of the same year, the panel of HACC AC judges, consisting of Mykhailenko, Pavlyshyn, and Nykyforov again found former MP Solvar guilty. He was sentenced to 3 years in prison.
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