Pre-trial restraint imposed on Shabunin in case of service evasion
15 July 20:26
on July 15, the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv imposed a preventive measure in the form of a personal commitment on Vitaliy Shabunin, head of the Anti-Corruption Action Center (ACAC). This was reported bySuspilne with reference to its own correspondent from the courtroom, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
The court ordered Shabunin not to leave the settlement where his military unit is stationed in Kharkiv region, to surrender his passport and not to contact other defendants in the case, including NACP employees, former unit commander Yushko and representatives of the military unit.
Initially, the prosecution demanded that Shabunin be fitted with an electronic bracelet, but the motion was later amended. The court remained with the milder option.
During the hearing, the defense filed a motion to disqualify Judge Svitlana Grechana, who had previously appeared in the AntAC investigation materials. The court denied the motion.
Case in brief
In June, the State Bureau of Investigation served Vitaliy Shabunin with a notice of suspicion of military service evasion and fraud. According to the investigation, after being mobilized in 2022, he did not stay in the unit for a long time and worked in civilian structures, including the NACP, under the guise of business trips. The SBI stated that Shabunin received more than UAH 50,000 in monthly salary without performing official duties. The investigation also alleges that he illegally used a car imported to Ukraine as humanitarian aid for the Armed Forces.
In response to the suspicion, Shabunin said that the case against him was initiated by blogger Volodymyr Boyko, and its promotion is part of political pressure. According to Shabunin, searches at his place of service in Chuhuiv district and at home were conducted without legal grounds, and the suspicion is a manifestation of “Zelensky’s movement towards corrupt authoritarianism.”
The AntAC notes that the judge refused to include interrogation protocols that testify to Shabunin’s work at the NACP during business trips. Also, despite mentions of the car in the SBI reports, this episode was not officially recorded in the suspicion. The judge confirmed that Shabunin was not charged with using the car.
