Kryvonos denied any conflict between NABU and the SBU, but claimed that detectives were being surveilled
NABU Director Semen Kryvonos does not believe there is a conflict between the Bureau and the SBU, though on August 10 he spoke out about illegal actions targeting NABU employees. According to him, detectives are being systematically monitored, and law enforcement officials are attempting to find out about the progress of investigations and planned investigative actions.
“We have absolutely no conflict with anyone—neither with the SBU, nor with the Prosecutor General’s Office, nor with the Office of the President, nor with members of parliament. We’re dealing with a different issue: there are confirmed—or yet to be confirmed—cases of illegal actions against our employees,” Kryvonos explained.
At the same time, he said that when listening devices are installed in the office of the head of the NABU detective unit, this is not a matter of conflict.
“This is not a conflict, but simply utterly senseless and illegal actions on the part of the Security Service of Ukraine. This is an entirely different category. And there is no conflict; we have excellent relations. It’s just that when we install such equipment and conduct investigative actions, we act in strict accordance with the law based on court orders.
Do our colleagues act this way? I have serious doubts. This is not an isolated incident. We simply don’t talk about everything or publish everything. Because this is about protecting our evidence and information. If, for example, we identify that one of our employees—who was carrying out certain tasks related to NABU’s activities at the time—was being followed, we certainly do not publish that fact, but this incident occurred recently, two weeks ago,” the Bureau’s head emphasized.
Kryvonos noted that in some cases, such surveillance is aimed at finding out who NABU employees are meeting with, what they are investigating, and what investigative actions they are planning.
“I can say with certainty that this activity is carried out constantly. Registers of court decisions are constantly monitored. All kinds of registries are constantly monitored—‘Safe City,’ where our vehicles travel, and the movements of our detectives.
We take measures to prevent the disclosure of information regarding pretrial investigations and operational-investigative activities, but at the same time, a huge amount of resources is being devoted specifically to finding out what we’re doing and planning there. We receive this information constantly. This is the main problem,” he said.
Kryvonos called on his colleagues from other law enforcement agencies to act within the bounds of the law.
“If they catch a traitor or a spy, by all means. But if all this activity is aimed solely at finding out what we’re investigating and when we plan to conduct searches, then that raises a huge question—for what purpose, and for whom?” the NABU head concluded, according to CENSOR.NET.
As a reminder, NABU is investigating officials who are hidden owners of defense companies.
In the first half of the year, as of August 10, courts handed down 55 guilty verdicts in cases investigated by NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO). Among those convicted are four high-ranking government officials, 11 heads of state-owned enterprises, as well as judges and prosecutors.
The state-owned enterprise “NAEK Energoatom” does not have the status of an injured party in the “Midas” criminal case. At the same time, according to Kryvonos, as of August 10, the investigation had established that more than $100 million had been transferred through a so-called “laundromat”—a back-office operation for money laundering.
The level of corruption in Ukraine is not decreasing, and corruption among top officials, according to SAPO Head Oleksandr Klymenko, is even on the rise. He stated that the fight against bribery is hampered, in particular, by a lack of political will and a number of problems in the functioning of the anti-corruption system.
The Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court has remanded one of the suspects in the “Midas” case, Ihor Myronyuk, into custody. Bail in the amount of 85 million hryvnias was set as an alternative to pretrial detention, but it has not yet been posted.
As a reminder, NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) announced new charges against a former Energoatom official in connection with the “Midas” case. According to “Suspilne,” citing case materials, the suspect is Dmytro Basov, the company’s former executive director for physical protection and security.
