Former first deputy head of the SBU Department for the Protection of National Statehood, General Serhii Duka, who is appearing in court for a measure of restraint in the "Carthage" case, said that he is unable to post bail of UAH 100 million. This was reported by UNN from the scene.
Details
I will not pay it anyway
The general emphasized that setting bail at UAH 100 million, which he cannot afford to pay, would effectively deprive him of the opportunity to be released from custody during the pretrial investigation.
According to Duka, he does not intend to hide from law enforcement or leave the country. In addition, the suspect expressed his willingness to testify as part of the criminal proceedings.
What preceded this
Earlier, Mykola Karas, a prosecutor with the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, told journalists that the prosecution had asked the High Anti-Corruption Court to impose detention as a measure of restraint on Duka, with the alternative of posting UAH 100 million in bail.
The prosecution justifies the need for a strict measure of restraint, in particular, by the suspect's behavior during the searches.
According to the prosecution, during investigative actions on November 4, Duka obstructed NABU detectives and destroyed electronic devices that could have contained information important to the investigation. In particular, Oleksandr Abakumov, head of a NABU detectives' unit, said that during the search the general allegedly threatened law enforcement officers with a pistol and also destroyed two mobile phones and a hard drive.
In addition, according to NABU's version, armed SBU officers obstructed the investigative actions. The circumstances of the incident are being examined as part of a separate criminal proceeding.
Why the court hearing in the Duka case has already become scandalous
The hearing on the motion to impose a measure of restraint on Serhii Duka began on November 6 without journalists present in the courtroom. Media representatives reported that the hearing had been moved to another room without notifying the journalists who were waiting for the hearing to begin in the previously designated courtroom.
The press service of the High Anti-Corruption Court explained the restrictions by citing the large number of media representatives and the need to comply with security measures.
At the same time, SAP prosecutor Mykola Karas said that there had been enough space for journalists in the room and that the prosecution had seen no grounds for restricting the openness of the court proceedings.
Later, Duka's defense filed a motion to hold part of the hearing behind closed doors. The lawyers explained their position by saying that information related to the SBU's activities and the protection of state secrets might be disclosed during the hearing. The court agreed to hold part of the hearing without members of the public present.
In addition, it became known that the High Anti-Corruption Court had received a letter from the Security Service of Ukraine regarding a possible terrorist threat during the hearing.
What is known about the "Carthage" case
On November 4, NABU and SAP announced that they had exposed a criminal organization whose members, according to the investigation, facilitated the illegal operation of fraudulent call centers and other criminal businesses with the assistance of certain law enforcement officials.
According to anti-corruption agencies, high-ranking officials of the Security Service of Ukraine, the National Police, the Office of the Prosecutor General, as well as representatives of the criminal underworld, may have been involved in the group's activities.
Investigators believe that members of the organization provided cover for fraudulent call centers, the illicit trafficking of drugs, the production of counterfeit cigarettes and counterfeit foreign currency. In addition, law enforcement agencies are investigating the possible involvement of the suspects in organizing attacks, kidnappings and the infliction of bodily injuries.
According to preliminary NABU data, the criminal organization included at least 12 people.
On November 5, NABU and SAPO notified five suspects in the case, including Serhii Duka, of suspicion. The former senior SBU official is charged with participation in a criminal organization using his official position under Part Three of Article 255 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
In the investigation materials, the general appears under the pseudonym "Akim". According to the investigators, he may have provided cover for the group's activities on the part of the special service.
The other suspects in the case have already begun having preventive measures selected for them. In particular, the court ordered Volodymyr Tsenov, the first deputy head of the National Police's Department of Strategic Investigations, to be held in custody with bail set at UAH 15 million. On November 6, it became known that the required amount had been posted for him.
The court ordered another person involved in the case, Vitalii Rybalko, to be held in custody without the right to bail.