Institutional crisis in NABU: Honcharenko calls on Kryvonos to explain the scandal with “fictitious paternity”

People's Deputy Oleksiy Honcharenko called on NABU Director Semen Kryvonos to publicly comment on information that has been actively circulating in the media and social networks in recent days and concerns his past. He wrote about this on his Telegram channel, UNN reports.

Honcharenko stated that he was surprised by the silence of some media outlets on this topic, and emphasized that NABU as an institution must give a clear answer to society.

As a person who did not vote for the destruction of NABU and supported anti-corruption bodies with all my actions, I believe that NABU should now communicate the information that is circulating online.

Adoption story

According to Honcharenko, the first part of the scandal concerns the adoption story.

Former People's Deputy Boryslav Bereza published an interview with a woman named Svitlana Khomenko, who introduced herself as the mother of NABU Director Kryvonos' adopted son.

This refers to events in 2009, when the court found Kryvonos guilty of voter bribery. At the same time, already in court, he was released from real punishment under the amnesty law, as he provided documents to the court that he had a minor child in his care.

According to Khomenko, she did not know that the fact of adoption could be used by Kryvonos in court. She also claims that Kryvonos explained the adoption by other reasons, in particular, the need to travel abroad due to work.

He needed to have a child for work, under a contract with America.

The woman also stated that she had not been acquainted with Kryvonos before and did not give consent to the use of the child's documents in court proceedings.

Questions about declarations and paternity

The deputy drew attention to another aspect: according to him, in 2015-2018, Kryvonos did not include the adopted child in his declarations.

In addition, as Khomenko claims, in 2014, Kryvonos allegedly initiated the procedure for canceling paternity based on a DNA test.

According to Honcharenko, this collectively creates the impression that the adoption could have been used to avoid responsibility, and subsequently annulled.

Perhaps it's just a personal conflict. But it looks like a story with signs of a serious offense.

Data on criminal proceedings

Separately, Honcharenko announced the existence of criminal proceedings in which Kryvonos is involved as a possible participant.

This refers to a 2014 case, when, according to the investigation, officials could have demanded a bribe of 120 thousand dollars for the allocation of a land plot.

The investigation, according to the deputy, is being carried out by the SBU under an article on extortion of unlawful benefits on a particularly large scale. He also referred to a court ruling on a search within this case. Despite the fact that more than ten years have passed since the opening of the proceedings, the case has not yet been brought to court.

Call for a public position

Honcharenko concluded that in a situation where it comes to the head of a key anti-corruption body, the lack of reaction only increases distrust.

A maximally open and clear position is needed right now. Otherwise, it already looks like an institutional problem, not a private story.

At the same time, no official reaction from NABU or Kryvonos himself has been published at this moment.