The State Bureau of Investigations has announced the completion of a criminal proceeding against a military officer suspected of systematically evading military service with the assistance of a military unit commander. Although the name of the suspect has not been officially disclosed, the circumstances of the case suggest that it concerns the head of the Anti-Corruption Center, Vitaliy Shabunin.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Charges Against Shabunin and New Circumstances of the Case
The DBR noted that after the defense party reviews the case materials, the indictment will be submitted to court. According to the Anti-Corruption Center, on August 13, law enforcement officers arrived in Kharkiv to serve Shabunin with an updated suspicion. The ACC emphasized that the DBR is not changing the previously qualified crimes or adding new articles, but is only correcting the description of the circumstances of their commission.
The DBR explained that the suspicion was modified due to clarifications regarding the circumstances of the crime; however, the legal qualification remained unchanged. As before, Shabunin is accused of evading military service and fraud. Additionally, on the same day, a new suspicion was also served to Shabunin’s commander.
Reactions from the Parties and Progress of the Investigation
On July 11, it became known that searches were conducted at both Vitaliy Shabunin’s place of service and his home. The DBR reported that he is suspected of systematically evading service and using military transport without proper justification. The Anti-Corruption Center suggests that the charges relate to the period from September 2022 to February 2023, when the Territorial Defense unit in which Shabunin served was stationed in Sukholuchchya in Kyiv region. According to the ACC, during this time, Shabunin was assigned to the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption. The organization considers the accusations absurd.
“We emphasize that the investigation was conducted objectively and within the shortest possible time, in compliance with all legal requirements… Ultimately, the court will clarify all the details and provide a final assessment of the suspect’s actions,” the DBR stated.
Shabunin described the criminal proceedings against him as “a step towards Zelensky’s corrupt authoritarianism,” while the President’s Office did not comment on these accusations. On July 15, the court imposed a preventive measure on Shabunin in the form of personal obligations.
In March of last year, Vitaliy Shabunin announced the opening of two criminal proceedings against him by the DBR: for allegedly evading military service and for document forgery related to the NAPC. He asserted that he is not evading service and published a photo of his military ID, indicating that he took the oath on February 25, 2022. Shabunin himself considers the cases against him to be “idiotic.”
The DBR had previously noted that the criminal proceeding was opened by court order.