Case description
The NABU and the SAPO accuse Artur Tovmasian, former head of the Kharkiv Regional Council, his deputy, and lawyer of receiving a UAH 1 million bribe.
According to the investigation, at the beginning of 2021, Artur Tovmasian, head of the Kharkiv Regional Council, together with his deputy Andrii Malysh and lawyer Ruslan Tanabash, demanded a bribe from Serhii Shparkyi, director of the regional municipal specialized enterprise for the implementation of environmental safety standards.
The defendants allegedly asked for money to keep the director in office. They received the bribe in parts, and criminal proceedings were registered due to the statement of the director of the ME.
Tovmasian's accomplices were detained during searches of the regional council in July 2021; they were exposed for receiving another tranche of bribes. Later, the head of the regional council himself was served with a suspicion notice. In December 2023, Tovmasian mobilized to the Armed Forces, but this did not prevent the court from continuing to consider the case.
Tovmasian and Malysh are indicted under Art. 368(4) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, and lawyer Tanabash appears in the case as an accomplice.