NABU conducts more than 70 searches – most of the cases are related to road accidents, some involve ties to Russia
21 July 14:39
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine has reported at least 70 searches conducted by law enforcement officers against its employees. The Bureau noted that the investigative actions continue without court orders and involve at least 15 employees, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
According to the NABU, in most cases, the basis for the searches is the participation of individual employees in an accident. At the same time, some of them are accused of possible ties to Russia. The Bureau emphasizes that these circumstances are not interrelated.
At the same time, an unscheduled inspection of the protection of state secrets initiated by the SBU is underway. It concerns NABU detectives who have access to state secrets and carry out covert investigative actions. The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) is conducting a similar inspection.
The NABU warns that through the inspection, the SBU may gain access to information about planned and ongoing investigative actions of the Bureau and the SAPO, and its disclosure could disrupt operational work.
A planned inspection of the State Special Communications Service, which covers the NABU’s technical infrastructure, is also underway.
The agency claims that during one of the searches, law enforcement officers used physical force against a detective, although he did not resist.
At the time of the searches, the leadership of the NABU and the SAPO were on business trips. The NABU director has already interrupted the trip and is returning to Ukraine. At the same time, the Bureau has launched an internal review of the events of July 21, including the legal grounds for the actions of law enforcement.
“The risk of the presence of agents of influence from the aggressor country remains relevant for any government agency. However, this cannot be a reason to suspend the work of the entire institution,” the NABU said.
What happened earlier
On the morning of July 21, law enforcement officers detained Ruslan Magamedrasulov, the head of one of the NABU’s interregional detective departments. According to the investigation, he was in close contact with Fedir Khrystenko, a former MP from the banned OPFL party, who is associated with Russian special services.
Investigators are checking whether Magamedrasulov passed classified information to the Russian Federal Security Service , in particular, regarding planned investigative actions.
Khrystenko has already been notified of suspicion of treason and abuse of influence. He is also considered to be an FSB agent who influenced the work of the NABU and organized the escape from Ukraine of businessman Gennadiy Boholyubov.
