Prosecutor appeals against the “rehabilitation” of Ihor Bakai

The Kyiv Prosecutor’s Office has appealed the ruling by the Pechersky District Court in Kyiv terminating the criminal investigation against the former Head of the State Department of Affairs, Ihor Bakai.  The court on 23 March once again allowed a complaint by Bakai’s representative, and cancelled the decision to initiate a criminal investigation. This terminated all criminal investigations initiated by the Kyiv Prosecutor’s Office and the Prosecutor General in 2006.

Bakai was accused of exceeding and abusing his official powers and of unlawfully expropriating State property, this being the Kyiv hotels “Dnipro”, “Ukraina” and the real estate property of the National Complex “Ukraine Expo-Centre”. He was also accused of abuses in the use of aviation technology of the State enterprise “Ukraina” and a number of other crimes. Law enforcement agencies alleged that the loss to the State during his tenure as Head of the Department of Affairs came to 350 million UAH. A check by the Control and Audit Department carried out in 2005 found that the Department of Affairs and its central office had unlawfully spent 828.5 UAH.  Bakai left Ukraine for Russia after his dismissal (and according to other reports, immediately after the Orange Revolution). He headed the State Department of Affairs from October 2003 to December 2004.