According to the SAPO prosecutor, the refusal to arrest Andrei Kobolev is unreasonable and illegal. The ministry fears that the businessman may leave the country.
The court rejected the prosecutor’s request to impose a restraining order in the form of detention on Andrei Kobolev, the former head of the state company Naftogaz. This was written by the entrepreneur’s lawyer, Alexei Nosov, on his Facebook page.
The lawyer said, “The court heard our allegations. Andrei Kobolev is free. The process does not end here. We will prove that there is no crime, including the objection made by the prosecutor’s office.”
The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office reacted to this decision by calling it “irrational and unlawful”.
The ministry’s Telegram channel states, “SAP is contesting the court’s decision to refuse to impose restraining measures on the former chairman of the board of Naftogaz.”
The publication says that refusing to arrest the suspect could adversely affect the further investigation. SAPO also expressed concerns that Kobolev might leave the country or interfere with the investigation.
What is the ex-president of Naftogaz accused of?
On January 19, NABU and SAP informed the former chairman of the board of the Ukrainian NJSC Naftogaz about suspicions of illegally distributing bonuses and taking over 229 million UAH.
“We are talking about a positive decision in case of conclusion of a contract for the sale of natural gas in 2009-2019,” NABU said. Said.
The NABU official website also noted that the normatively determined amount of such bonuses is UAH 37.48 million. According to the agency, the former head of Naftogaz received around UAH 261 million ($10 million) for his outstanding achievements.
What do Kobolev’s lawyers say?
According to Alexei Nosov, the former head of the state-owned company did not decide to pay the bonus to himself. The lawyer claims that this was done by the Naftogaz Supervisory Board of the Ukrainian NJSC.
Nosov also stated that the Supervisory Board had legal grounds for deciding on the payment of bonuses in that amount. He stressed that the chairman and members of the council assume full responsibility for this decision.
Recall that in April 2021, the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers to remove Andriy Kobolev from the post of head of NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine became known. Kobolev has been heading the company since March 2014.
Also F.read He wrote that on February 1, 2022, the press service of the State Bureau of Investigation announced that the house and office of the former head of Naftogaz Andrei Kobolev were searched. Details of the events were not disclosed.
Source: Focus
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