The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) denied accusations by the heads of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) that it was withholding evidence in the treason case against two NABU employees.
The statement came after a Friday press briefing by NABU and SAPO chiefs, in which the two said the SBU has yet to disclose case files on the NABU staff accused of treason, adding that pressure is being exerted on the agencies.
The treason case served as the basis for the government’s earlier, controversial decision to strip the agencies of their independence, which was later reversed due to public outrage.
In a press release on Friday, the SBU said it provided NABU Director Semen Kryvonos with separate information and materials that it said confirm the validity of the suspicions.
“All available evidence subject to disclosure was officially made public on July 21, including authentic audio recordings of the suspects’ conversations,” the SBU said in a press release.
The SBU also said full access to case evidence is restricted by law during investigations, and the full body of evidence will be submitted exclusively to the court.
The SBU also rejected allegations that it pressured individuals to provide testimony about suspected Russian influence within NABU. It said this influence is evidenced, among other things, by recorded conversations involving lawmaker Fedir Khrystenko, a member of the banned pro-Russian OPZZh party.
During searches at a house in Ukraine where Khrystenko’s close relatives currently reside, the SBU said law enforcement officers discovered materials from covert investigative actions and profiles of NABU detectives.
The SBU considers Khrystenko’s statements about “threats to his life” to be an attempt to avoid criminal liability. The politician, who left Ukraine after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, has been formally charged in absentia with state treason committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy during martial law, as well as abuse of influence.
Earlier, during a press briefing in Kyiv on Friday, Aug. 8, SAPO Head Oleksandr Klymenko called the case “a planned attack on the independence of anti-corruption bodies.”
“The materials provided in the media are not sufficient to keep two NABU specialists in custody on suspicion of treason. These are high-profile cases linked to an attack on anti-corruption agencies, after which there was an attempt to strip us of our independence,” he said.
“The situation with NABU and SAPO has now been resolved, but not with these detectives. The correct course of action would be openness from the Security Service of Ukraine, so that everyone can be convinced there are reasonable grounds for the suspicions,” he said.
The heads of NABU and SAPO also warned of possible campaigns to undermine the agencies’ independence, including attempts to remove them from their positions.