Detectives turned the Midas case into a “movie” – Bronevytskyi
26 November 15:28
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau has turned the high-profile Midas case into a public series with dosed “episodes” and gradual information injections. This format of detectives’ work calls into question the effectiveness of the criminal investigation and the likelihood of bringing the case to a logical conclusion. Stanislav Bronevytskyi, a lawyer and former employee of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, said this in an interview with the "Komersant Ukrainian" YouTube channel.
According to him, instead of gradually publishing the “tapes” Mindich, creating the effect of a multi-part movie, the anti-corruption authorities could have acted more quickly, given the martial law and the high profile of the case.
“I can’t explain it. I don’t know why they chose this strategy of dosing (gradual publication of Mindich’s tapes in the media – ed.) They discovered the fact of involvement of the close circle in certain schemes – we had to act, not play politics,” says Bronevytskyi.
Bronevytskyi believes that the detectives could have immediately reported to President Volodymyr Zelenskyi about the schemes discovered during the pre-trial investigation.
“I would have come, put a hat on it and said: look, you have this going on here, and we are at war. Give 10-15 days to stop all schemes – and then notify them of suspicion and act,” the lawyer emphasizes.
He adds that in the end, society watched a “movie,” while anti-corruption agencies could have demonstrated coordinated work, quick procedural decisions and real results.
“Political decisions could have stopped all these schemes, and after that, the NABU could have easily detained all the people, determined preventive measures and worked. But we watched a movie,” summarizes Bronevytskyi.
We would like to add that the wiretapping for recording the “tapes”, according to NABU, lasted about a year. And the recordings themselves total more than 1000 hours.
What is the Mindich case about?
on November 10, the NABU announced the exposure of a corruption scheme at Energoatom, which included current and former energy officials. The offenders, according to the investigation, received undue benefits from the company’s counterparties in the amount of 10-15% of the value of contracts, using the so-called “barrier” scheme to control payments and the status of suppliers.
The scheme involved a former deputy head of the State Property Fund, who became an advisor to the Minister of Energy, and a former law enforcement officer, who was the executive director of physical protection at Energoatom. Law enforcement officers found that the actual management of the strategic enterprise with an annual income of over UAH 200 billion was carried out by unauthorized persons without formal authority.
The NABU recorded the negotiations of the above-mentioned persons in the so-called back office, which was located in the apartment of entrepreneur Timur Mindich. Some of the “tapes” were gradually published in the media.
Mindich himself was notified of suspicion in absentia within the framework of the proceedings, while the entrepreneur left Ukraine.
