UP: Shurma tries to block transfer of data from his phone to Ukrainian investigators
Photo: Rostyslav Shurma / OP

Former Deputy Head of the Presidential Office for Economic Affairs Rostyslav Shurma is trying to convince German law enforcement officials through his lawyers that searches of his estate in Germany – is political persecution. About this it says in an investigation by Ukrayinska Pravda.

According to the newspaper's sources, Shurma is trying to prove that the contents of his phone should not be handed over to Ukrainian law enforcement due to the political overtones of the case.

In a comment to the UP, Shurma said that he was cooperating with German law enforcement, voluntarily handed over all devices and passwords to them, but doubted the legality of the search.

He also emphasizes that he has no status as a suspect or accused, and that all the companies in which his brother is a shareholder operate in accordance with the law.

In July of this year Shurma's rented estate near Munich was searched the investigation was conducted by German law enforcement officers jointly with NABU detectives.

The NABU is investigating a case involving solar power plants that fell under Russian occupation and are co-owned by Shurma's inner circle, received payment under the "green tariff" until the summer of 2023. According to journalists, in 2022-2023, these companies received more than UAH 320 million.

The journalists found Shurma's rented house in the Munich suburb of Starnberg.

They recorded that one of the president's former top managers Volodymyr Zelenskyy since retirement, he has been living a normal life abroad and actively traveling to Europe on business.

In addition to this, despite his resignation in September 2024 Shurma is still a member of the Supervisory Board NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine and participates in its meetings online.

UP journalists also found Rostyslav Shurma's brother Oleh, who is involved in the NABU investigation. He lives in a house in the center of Vienna.

UPDATED AT 1:48 PM

Rostislav Shurma commented on Ukrainska Pravda's investigation into his stay abroad and searches at his estate near Munich.

He stated that "the Ukrainian side misled the German law enforcement system and obtained a search warrant by manipulating official documents."

According to him, local lawyers are already working on this.

In addition, Shurma emphasized that "there is no case against Shurma and his brother," and that the NABU investigation concerns a situation involving more than 70 enterprises whose power plants were located in temporarily occupied territory but continued to supply electricity to Ukraine's power grid.