Former Ukrainian State Fiscal Service head wins appeals court round

Roman Nasirov, the
former head of Ukraine’s State Fiscal Service, has won the appeals court round
in his fight to regain his position. Unian reports that the appellate court
upheld the lower administrative court ruling reinstating Nasirov. The case,
which follows Nasirov’s 2017 suspension and eventual dismissal by the Cabinet
of Ministers in 2018 for abuse of power and official forgery, has been marred
with delays, especially after a judge hearing the case died of a heart attack.
The state has 30 days to file a cassation claim if it does not accept the court
ruling.

James Hydzik: If one
takes the government’s position and findings regarding Nasirov’s crimes at face
value, then the case is indicative of the continued inability of the government
to reign in its judges. The need for effective judicial reform is cited
constantly as one of the bugbears of Ukrainian development. However, the
beneficiaries of this system are still powerful enough and widespread enough to
make a revolutionary change unlikely in the near future. This is reflected in
the latest survey by the Razumkov Center, as we reported
yesterday, which shows continued erosion of the public’s
faith in their government.