How the court removed the Kazan oncologist from scheduled operations, while law enforcement is looking for "new" bribes.

      At the meeting, the defendant denied taking bribes but did not provide explanations for the transfers from patients.

      Photo: Real Time

      Mарат Насруллаев, head of the urology department at the Republican Clinical Oncology Dispensary and father of five children, has been placed under house arrest until August 15. This decision was just made by the Soviet court of Kazan, denying representatives of the Investigative Committee and the prosecutor's office a real arrest of the defendant. During the meeting, it was stated that five cancer patients wrote statements about transferring funds for surgery out of turn. According to sources from "Real Time," the number of such patients may increase significantly.

      In favor of Насруллаев, the management noted the "turnover of hospital beds."

      While awaiting a preventive measure, Mарат Насруллаев spent the standard two days in custody. However, during these 48 hours, he appeared in court twice for a hearing on the preventive measure and, according to his defense, was not questioned on the merits of his case even once. "An hour after the charges were presented on six sheets, he was taken to court — although we requested time to familiarize ourselves and prepare our explanations," reported the defendant's lawyer, Vadim Maximov, who was previously an investigator in the second, "official" department of the Investigative Committee for Tatarstan.

      According to "Real Time," such speed may be explained by the presence of evidence that representatives of the security forces consider irrefutable. This includes statements from five operated patients that, in order to save their lives and remove tumors as quickly as possible using the most modern technologies, they had to pay. One, as sources note, paid in cash, while four transferred directly to the card of the currently accused. The defense is not yet ready to provide explanations regarding these transfers.

      Let us remind you that on his birthday, June 15, the oncologist met with uninvited guests — employees of the economic police and an investigator came to him with a search warrant, and on the same day, a petition for arrest was submitted to the district court. However, Judge Alsu Shaikhutdinova only extended the detention period for Насруллаев, obliging the security forces to provide character data on the detainee. The defense was also able to prepare new documents in two days.

      Thus, senior investigator of the second department of the Investigative Committee for Tatarstan, Almaz Khairullin, requested the court to include a number of characteristics on the defendant — regarding his place of registration, actual residence, and place of work. Additionally, an excerpt from the orders of the Ministry of Health regarding his employment and transfers, according to which Mарат Насруллаев began working at the RKOD clinic back in 2003 as an oncologist, was presented. Over 22 years of work, he not only mastered diagnostic methods, including the latest ones, but also became a mentor for young specialists and defended a candidate's thesis in the field of prostate cancer treatment.

      Separately, in the characteristic for this subordinate, the deputy chief physician of RKOD noted — thanks to Насруллаев, operations that leading European clinics perform were implemented in the clinic, and "the turnover of beds increased, which allowed reducing hospitalization times from 15 to 5 days," while the number of the least invasive laparoscopic surgeries increased from 0 to 60%. The clinic's management characterized the accused as a competent and conscientious doctor who is respected by colleagues.

      The defense requested to include data about the two marriages of the defendant and the birth of five children, three of whom are biological children of Насруллаев, while he became a stepfather to two in his second marriage. The youngest child is only 4 months old, and the oldest is 18. Also included in the materials was a statement from the former spouse, who asked the court to consider that two daughters are fully dependent on Насруллаев, as she lives in Moscow.

      Lawyer Maximov presented data on his client's obtaining a candidate of medical sciences degree in 2017 and letters of gratitude from two former ministers of health of Tatarstan — Marat Sadikov and Marcel Minnullin. He also requested to consider information about the illnesses of the 76-year-old father and mother of the detainee. The father personally provided consent for his son to live in the Kazan apartment during house arrest or a ban on certain actions if the court agrees to choose a milder preventive measure.

      The owner of the apartment on the documents is Насруллаев-senior; however, the security forces have a version that the real owner could be his son.

      From the household characteristics announced by the court, it followed that no statements against the accused doctor were ever written by neighbors or relatives, and the police had no questions either.

      Defense attorney: "All the claimants are alive and well; who has been harmed?"

      During today's meeting, representative of the Investigative Committee Almaz Khairullin did not voice his petition for the arrest of the doctor but stated — he fully supports it. The same position was taken by assistant prosecutor of the Soviet district, Alexandra Oleynik, noting the severity of corruption crimes and the fact that incriminating testimony against Насруллаев was provided by his own patients.

      "While free, he can coordinate his actions to obstruct the investigation, which is why choosing a measure not related to isolation from society is impractical," Oleynik stated.

      Let us remind you that, according to the security forces, from February 2023 to March 2025, sums ranging from 150,000 to 300,000 rubles were transferred to the head of the RKOD department in the interests of five cancer patients — a total of 1,350,000 rubles. In addition to acceleration, "privileged" patients could expect more attention to their health — in terms of examinations, prescriptions, and all medical arsenal used during surgical intervention.

      Defendant's lawyer Vadim Maximov requested the security forces be denied the most severe preventive measure, arguing that there are no grounds for this:

      — Five episodes of allegedly receiving bribes in the years 23-25 are charged, but no one caught my client red-handed, operational-search measures (OSM) to record video transfers of money, corrupt negotiations, etc. were not conducted, and the subject of the bribe was not found during the search... The case was initiated only 48 hours ago! It is impossible to establish any facts in this time!...

      The defender emphasized — the incriminated actions are dated not to today or yesterday; over a year since the last episode, nothing has changed — Насруллаев has been working as he always has. No statements about alleged pressure to influence the opinions of the operated patients have been made.

      — If we refer to the accusation that he allegedly extorted or coerced something, then medicine is not a monopoly; no one could force anyone — patients are not under his command; they could switch to a private institution, anywhere. This is an absolutely unfounded accusation on the first day of the investigation!

      The defender also informed the court that all five claimants in the case with a diagnosis of "oncology," including a 66-year-old and an 83-year-old, successfully underwent surgeries.

      — Considering the mortality rate for oncology — simply a magnificent result! It was achieved only because my client has golden hands and is a highly qualified doctor, — Maximov continued, noting the capabilities of the equipment in the RKOD urology department. — All claimants are alive and well; what coercion and negative result can we talk about, what harm has been caused?!

      It was further stated: on the shoulders of the head of the department lies not only the urology department, equipment, medical staff, patients, but also five children, as well as financial burdens — mortgage and other loans. Without him, his wife and children will not be able to pay them off.

      Considering the socially significant position of Насруллаев and the circumstances of the case, the lawyer proposed limiting the preventive measure to a ban on certain actions.

      Before Mарат Насруллаев took his place at the podium, his handcuffs were temporarily removed. We present his speech with minor omissions. The accused began his remarks about the bribes by stating that throughout his work, he had never seen or heard any negative feedback about himself:

      — Only grateful words from thousands of people. I am currently an active doctor, and I have five planned surgeries next week that will save lives. I ask to allow me to continue working, to choose a preventive measure not related to arrest.

      In the end, he was placed under house arrest. The court allowed the accused to communicate only with relatives, the investigator, the court, and supervisory authorities, and to use only telephone communication — to contact the investigator, lawyer, and employees of the criminal-executive inspection.

      The investigator considered it necessary to express an objection in one matter — no crimes related to the failure to provide assistance to patients have been presented to Насруллаев, and while free, he may continue to commit crimes.

      For his part, Марат Насруллаев stated: "I have never extorted anything from anyone and will not engage in this. For me, this is a matter of honor. I have a father who is a doctor and a mother who is a doctor; they never taught me to engage in this..."

      Will the prosecutor's office challenge the decision to impose house arrest and seek to detain Насруллаев in the Supreme Court of Tatarstan —