Poroshenko-backed Nasirov reinstated as State Fiscal Service head

A Kyiv district ruled on Dec. 11 to reinstate Roman
Nasirov as head of the State Fiscal Service, the position from which he was
dismissed by the Cabinet of Ministers in January 2018 for dual citizenship. The
court apparently decided that Nasirov could not be dismissed for concealing his
dual Ukrainian-British citizenship, according MP Andriy Zhurzhiy, who had been
attending the proceedings, as reported by the pravda.com.ua news site. Nasirov
was replaced by Myroslav Prodan, who served as the acting head until he
submitted his resignation to the cabinet in September amid a corruption
investigation initiated by the Prosecutor General’s Office.

As his response, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman
said the cabinet would appeal the court’s ruling. It was criticized by
Transparency International as undermining rule of law. Zhurzhiy pointed out
that the ruling will likely affect criminal cases and trials alleging Nasirov’s
corruption, as alleged by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau. “Imagine a
situation in which some of the witnesses in the cases, who work for the fiscal
service, began to offer testimony that revealed Nasirov’s illegal actions and
abuse of authority,” he said. “These people received a clear signal that
Nasirov is immune. That the Cabinet of Ministers, despite having the basis,
doesn’t have the right to dismiss him. Truly there is a great chance that these
people will begin to refute their testimony. This is what the court ruling is
aiming for.”

Zenon Zawada: We believe
that it’s quite possible that there is a relationship between the acting head
Prodan being dismissed in September and Nasirov being reinstated months later.
Nasirov was appointed head in May 2015 as the result of a competition, though
numerous MPs said his candidacy was aided by the Poroshenko administration. And
it was the Poroshenko administration, represented by Prosecutor General Yuriy
Lutsenko, that pursued the dismissal of his replacement Prodan by submitting
criminal evidence to the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office. The
events are so advantageous to the Poroshenko administration that it’s difficult
to view them as coincidental, though it’s possible.

If the Poroshenko administration did set up events
to prompt Nasirov’s return, that would indicate that it is preparing for a
turbulent election season by rallying together its loyal political allies,
including Nasirov. And the administration made a calculated decision to bring
back Nasirov with the confidence that the political damage will be minimal.