The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine will use all legal mechanisms to prevent former First Deputy Director of the Bureau Gizo Uglava from returning to his post. This was stated by NABU Director Semen Kryvonos in an interview with Dzerkalo Tyzhnia.
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Gizo Uglava worked at the NABU as the first deputy director since the establishment of this anti-corruption body. He was dismissed from the bureau on September 3, 2024, with the official reason being violation of the oath of office and rules of ethical behavior. However, Uglava filed a lawsuit in court demanding that the order on his dismissal be recognized as illegal.
Kryvonos did not rule out that the court might side with Gizo Uglava, but assured that NABU would appeal the decision.
I admit different scenarios, but the NABU legal team is ready for any of them. We have a clear and understandable legal position. The disciplinary investigation was conducted in accordance with the procedure. I am absolutely confident in all the evidence obtained. Therefore, both the conclusion of the disciplinary commission and my decision to dismiss me were based solely on legal norms. If the court of first instance does uphold the former First Deputy's claim, we will appeal the decision. We intend to use all legal mechanisms to defend our legal position
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A few months before his dismissal, Gizo Uglava managed to make a number of high-profile statementsthat exposed potential problems in the management and investigation processes of anti-corruption detectives.
He accused the NABU leadership, in particular Director Semen Kryvonos, of pressuring him to resign. He also filed a complaint with the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption against the NABU director and received official whistleblower status.
The then-deputy director of the NABU has repeatedly hinted that decisions in the bureau are made under the influence of external factors, not on the basis of the law. Among the individuals and institutions that he believed exerted this pressure were activists of the Anti-Corruption Action Center (AntAC) and the head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Anti-Corruption Policy, who, as Uglava noted, had previously worked for the AntAC.
The same opinion is supported by lawyers, who also stated that the real goal of anti-corruption activists has turned from fighting corruption to putting pressure on certain public officials to achieve “external” goals.