The relevant committee of the Rada discussed the criminal prosecution of the management of the TVi channel

Yesterday an extraordinary meeting of the parliamentary committee on freedom of speech and information took place, the main issue of which was the discussion of the criminal case filed against the management of the TVi channel. The general director of the TV channel, Nikolai Knyazhitsky, insists that by doing so the authorities are putting pressure on the independent channel. Representatives of the State Tax Service explain that it “concerns purely financial and economic activities.”

An extraordinary meeting of the parliamentary committee on freedom of speech and information was announced by its head, people's deputy Yuriy Stets ("Our Ukraine - People's Self-Defense") on the same day when it became known that a criminal case had been initiated against the management of the TVi channel ( see "Kommersant" " dated July 13th ). He called on the committee members to interrupt their vacations and urgently meet to discuss the current situation. However, representatives of the parliamentary majority ignored his call; only deputy Vladimir Landik (Party of Regions) came to the meeting. As a result, there was no quorum at the meeting, since only five of the ten committee members took part. Understanding this, Mr. Stets said that the meeting would be held in the form of a meeting, and all its decisions would be formalized not as a decision of the committee, but as requests from the MPs present.

A criminal case against the television company TVi and its general director Nikolai Knyazhitsky was initiated by the Shevchenkovsky District Court of Kyiv in early July, based on the results of an unscheduled April audit conducted by the State Tax Service (STS). Its representatives accused Mr. Knyazhytsky of tax evasion in the period from December 2010 to December 2011 in the amount of UAH 6.39 million.

During the meeting, Nikolai Knyazhitsky explained to the deputies for a long time that he considered the criminal case to be a fact of political persecution and that the TV channel he headed regularly paid and is paying all taxes. “In 2008, when the TVi channel was just being created, we purchased equipment. According to the law, the state was supposed to compensate us for UAH 6 million in VAT. We did not pay the money that the state owed us, thus repaying our debt,” Mr. Knyazhitsky explained. The CEO of TVi is confident that the authorities’ next step will be his arrest. This idea was prompted by a call from the district clinic, which is located at the place of residence of Nikolai Knyazhitsky - the doctor told him that tax officers came to the clinic and demanded his medical card.

A representative of the State Tax Service, who was present at the committee meeting, categorically rejected the assumption that the case under investigation was related to professional activities. “This case (in relation to the management - Kommersant) is in no way connected with his (Nikolai Knyazhitsky - Kommersant) journalistic activities, but concerns purely financial and economic activities,” said Alexander Polgorodnik, an employee of the main investigative department of the State Tax Service.

— What does the medical card have to do with the case? — Yuri Stets asked him.

“The card was not confiscated,” Mr. Polgorodnik answered dryly.

- I will repeat my question again - why do you need information about the health of Nikolai Knyazhitsky? — the deputy asked monotonously.

- Perhaps this fact took place. If such a need arises, then the investigation may ask for such information, but the card was not confiscated, the materials only contain a certificate about his (Nikolai Knyazhitsky - Kommersant) health,” explained the representative of the State Tax Service.

Mr. Polgorodnik, and with him the press secretary of the State Tax Service Andrei Sokolov, tried once again to convince the deputies that there was no political subtext in the case. This attempt completely infuriated Yuri Stets.

- Should we eat this information and remain silent? Don’t you know about the moratorium banning media checks during the election campaign?! This is reminiscent of 2004, when the regime persecuted the press! — the head of the committee began to shout.

— Do you even understand the logic of the Verkhovna Rada’s resolution on the moratorium and the fact that by your actions you are calling into question the democracy of future elections? - asked people's deputy Viktor Ukolov (BYuT-Batkivshchyna), noting before that the actions of the State Tax Service "harm the image of Ukraine."

Meanwhile, tax representatives were not going to answer and silently read some documents. Having not received an answer, the committee members decided to send a request to the Prosecutor General’s Office with a request to explain on what basis the investigator tried to seize Mr. Knyazhytsky’s medical record, and also why the State Tax Service does not comply with the Rada’s decision on a moratorium on media inspections.

The issue of the situation around the online publication lb.ua was considered in a more peaceful atmosphere. Let us remind you that after the SMS correspondence of People’s Deputy Vladimir Landik was published on the website, he contacted the prosecutor’s office of the Pechersky district of Kyiv with a demand to investigate the fact of interference in his private life and to initiate a criminal case under Art. 163 of the Criminal Code (“violation of the secrecy of correspondence committed against state or public figures” provides for punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of three to seven years). Mr. Landik sent a statement to the prosecutor's office in November 2011, but investigative actions began only in June of this year. This fact was regarded by lb.ua as pressure on the media ( see Kommersant, July 2 ).

Kyiv prosecutor Anatoly Melnik, who was also present at the committee meeting, said that no criminal case had been initiated against the lb.ua journalists and that an internal investigation was currently underway.

“I already wrote that nothing is needed, I have no complaints, so the case can be closed,” Vladimir Landik said after hearing this. In response to this, Mr. Melnik said that it was impossible to interrupt the inspection by law.

— It turns out that no matter what I write, the check will continue? “Well, what can you do,” Mr. Landik just threw up his hands.

Artem Skoropadsky

Newspaper "Kommersant Ukraine" No. 112 dated July 18, 2012, p. 3

Themes:

Activities of the Verkhovna Rada

Deputies' blood pressure rose