Head of NABU fired not for data leaks, but for reaction - Kryvonos tells new details of the conflict

Gizo Uglava was dismissed from the post of First Deputy Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine not because of information leaks, but because of his reaction to reports of possible involvement in systemic data leaks. NABU Director Semen Kryvonos said this in an interview with Dzerkalo Tyzhnia, UNN reported.

"It is already an absolutely clear fact: First Deputy Director of NABU Gizo Uglava was fired not because of information leaks, but because of his reaction to reports of his possible involvement in systemic information leaks and further behavior. It was not about leadership, not about the ethical standards of NABU," Krivonos said.

He noted that during the internal investigation, he received more than one report from NABU employees about pressure on them from the Head of the Department, and called the fact that he sided with his subordinates a precedent.

"NABU has set a precedent in the entire law enforcement system. That is why the Bureau was created. I am, so to speak, a pioneering leader. And as director, in strict accordance with the law, I appointed an internal investigation, then made a number of decisions based on the facts and sided with the team. I don't want to comment on what I was going through and at what moment. What matters is the result. We have become stronger," said the director.

Now Kryvonos is sure that there are no "Uglava's people" in NABU, and everyone fulfills the functions and tasks of the bureau.

Recall

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, on the official grounds of violation of the oath of office and rules of ethical conduct. 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.

Uglava 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.