The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) have opposed changing the jurisdiction of the case concerning the embezzlement of $20 million of state-controlled Oschadbank, which Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko handed over to the National Police.
“The transfer of competence in the case of embezzling $20 million of JSC Oschadbank, within which NABU investigators and SAPO prosecutors notified 12 people of suspicion, to the National Police of Ukraine is unacceptable and directly violates the requirements of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. The prosecutor general made the relevant decision on incomprehensible grounds without reclamation and studying the materials of the criminal proceedings on July 19, 2019,” the NABU said on its website.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau notes that, in accordance with the current legislation, this crime can be investigated exclusively by the national bureau, therefore the prosecutor general made the decision contrary to the law.
“Unfortunately, such a decision by the prosecutor general threatens the possibility of criminal charges against officials. Even if the National Police completes the investigation, the court might return the indictment to the prosecutor as such that does not meet the requirements of the Criminal Procedure Code on the definition of investigative jurisdiction,” the statement reads.
