Bakhmatyuk never abscond, and NABU illegally appointed him "public attorneys", lawyers
Oleh Bakhmatyuk's attorneys during press conference "Problems with admission of lawyers to the materials of the Pysaruk-Bakhmatyuk case", which took place today, December 2, at "Interfax-Ukraine", informed about political pressure on their client who never abscond. Oleg Bakhmatyuk's attorneys still have no access to the files of this case what is violation of the law. And National Anti-Corruption Bureau appointed "free public attorneys" without the agreement of defendant.
Attorney Shevchuk stated that access to information necessary for Bakhmatyuk's defense was denied by NABU. "And at the same time, NABU, which was publicly informed about Bakhmatyuk's whereabouts, staged some strange PR campaign for allegedly abscond from law enforcement and evading of procedural actions," said the lawyer. We, as lawyers, have informed of Oleg Bakhmatyuk's whereabouts - this is Austria, where he has been since the beginning of autumn, when he had no procedural status and no restrictions on leaving Ukraine". Shevchuk stated that Bachmatyuk had no status in a criminal investigation, has never been summoned to the authorities conducting pre-trial investigations, and knew nothing about the case because he is not involved in it.
Lawyer Tatiana Kozachenko, in her turn, stated that appointment of free public attorneys, made by National Anti-Corruption Bureau, contradicts the current legislation because the personal defendants of Bakhmatyuk are already of duty. "As we know, according to NABU's answer, there are free public lawyers appointed," Kozachenko said. According to her statement, this appointment was illegal, because personal defendants of Bakhmatyuk are of duty, and both NABU and the Specialized anti-corruption prosecutor's office were informed about this fact.
Kozachenko explained that this was done for one purpose only: to obtain procedural decisions artificially blocking access of real defendants to the case files for an impartial investigation.
Defenders argue that they were deprived of the opportunity to access case files - NABU denied them their legal right. Defenders were forced to file a complaint to the NABU's Office of Internal Control. "We have made formal requests to NABU. And atoday, right now, an hour ago, we received a response saying that we are defense attorneys, but we will be provided with fragments of documentation in this case, not earlier than December 20", which means, according to Tatiana Kozachenko, during three weeks the lawyers will be deprived of information, which law enforcement agencies are obliged to grant them upon request.
Earlier, Oleg Bakhmatyuk's lawyers stated that the findings of official examinations, reports of the Deposit Guarantee Fund and the National Bank of Ukraine completely refute NABU's accusations in Pysaruk-Bakhmatyuk case, and that there were obvious political motives opening for the case against the businessman.
