On January 5, 2026, the HACC Appeals Chamber held the first hearing to consider appeals against the verdict in the case of Roman Nasirov, former head of the State Fiscal Service.

As reported earlier, on October 31, 2025, the HACC found Nasirov guilty and sentenced him to six years’ imprisonment. 

Nasirov asked the court for time to review materials that were submitted to the court today. However, the panel first proceeded to consider a defense motion to change the interim measure.

The defense argued that the court had unlawfully imposed pre-trial detention on Nasirov when delivering the verdict.  The lawyers therefore asked the court to replace it with nighttime house arrest. The prosecutor objected, explaining that a preventive measure is not a final punishment and that imposing such a measure before the verdict enters into legal force is the court’s obligation. The court denied the defense motion.

The prosecution also asked the court to hear the case without interruptions and to set time limits for the parties’ submissions—no more than two hours per side. The defense requested that consideration of this issue be postponed until tomorrow, but the court refused. The court partly granted the prosecutor’s motion on continuity, meaning the case will be heard more intensively. The hearing will continue tomorrow, January 6, at 10:00. By then, Nasirov and the defense must review the documents. 

Nasirov is a defendant in the so-called Onyshchenko “gas case.” He is accused of unlawfully granting installment plans for tax debt and subsoil-use rent payments to companies linked to Onyshchenko. The state sustained losses of approximately UAH 2 billion. The statute of limitations for holding Nasirov criminally liable in these proceedings expires in April this year.