The National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption is checking whether NABU Director Semen Kryvonos has a conflict of interest following a complaint from his former first deputy, Gizo Uglava. The NACP is taking steps to complete the investigation as soon as possible. This is stated in the agency's response to the request of UNN.
Details
Gizo Uglava, while still a top NABU official, filed a report with the NAPC about possible violations of anti-corruption legislation by the bureau's head, Semen Kryvonos, and became a whistleblower. According to him, Kryvonos pressured him to resign.
In response to a request from UNN , the NACP confirmed that it had received a statement from Gizo Uglava and had begun "monitoring and controlling the implementation of legislation on the prevention and settlement of conflicts of interest" in the actions of NABU Director Semen Kryvonos.
At present, the monitoring is ongoing and no decision has been made on its results, including the identified violations... At the same time, given the public outcry, the NACP is taking all necessary measures to complete the monitoring as soon as possible
Add
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 the rules of ethical behavior. However, Uglava filed a lawsuit with the court demanding that the order on his dismissal be recognized as illegal.
It is worth noting that a few months before his dismissal, he managed to make a number of high-profile statements that exposed potential problems in the management and investigation processes of anti-corruption detectives.
Chapter accused the NABU leadership, in particular Director Semen Kryvonos, of pressure to force him to resign.
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, used to work at the AntAC.