Lawsuit on wiretapping of lawyers: National Association of Lawyers stated that NABU and SAP could have commissioned an article in "Mirror of the Week"

Publications of "Mirror Weekly" about "hacker lawyers" contain false information, distortions and manipulations that undermine the authority of the institution of advocacy. The National Association of Lawyers of Ukraine stated about pressure on it and a заказnu campaign in the media from the NABU and SAP.

"These publications contain false and distorted (and therefore manipulative) information about the role of the UNBA in protecting lawyers. The dissemination of such materials damages the reputation and undermines the authority of the legal profession in the eyes of society. In addition, the very fact of placing the article and its systematic promotion by individual news contains signs of illegal pressure on the constitutional institution," the statement of the Committee for the Protection of Lawyers' Rights and Guarantees of Advocacy of the UNBA reads.

The UNBA stressed that this is a заказnu media attack by the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine.

The UNBA Committee condemns such methods of pressure, therefore appeals to the media and other resources with a demand to immediately stop the dissemination of false information. It appeals to the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, the "Mirror of the Week" publication with a request to provide public information about the existence of contractual relations of a commercial nature and the availability of documents on relevant financial calculations

Also, the UNBA Committee did not rule out an appeal with a statement to law enforcement agencies about the commission of a crime by a group of persons involved in discrediting the institution of advocacy.

The Chairman of the Committee for the Protection of Lawyers' Rights of the UNBA, Yevheniy Solodko, on his Facebook page wrote that the media hate regarding advocacy is intended to divert attention from the illegal actions of the NABU.

The NABU deliberately stuck its nose into the lawyer's secret, clearly knowing that they were wiretapping lawyers, violated the guarantees of our professional activity. Did the undeclared cryptocurrency in the accounts of some detectives give them such courage, or did detective Arshavin run abroad? It is unacceptable to undermine the independence of the legal profession through media manipulations and the dissemination of false information

As reported, the Office of the Prosecutor General opened criminal proceedings due to illegal entry into the premises of lawyers, wiretapping and abuse of office by employees of the NABU and SAP.

Earlier, the media reported about the detention at a checkpoint by NABU detectives with armed special forces of two young children of lawyer Borzykh – 8-year-old and 5-year-old daughters, who were traveling with their father to school and kindergarten. The detectives forbade calling a lawyer, citing the "order" of the leadership. For almost two hours, the children remained blocked in the car, without communication with their mother. Everything happened in the presence of the police, who confirmed the fact of the children's detention.

Famous lawyer Oleg Shram commented on the case of lawyers, noting that the actions of the NABU go beyond the competence of the Bureau, as they are not corrupt and not subject to investigation by them, and criminal liability awaits the representatives of the NABU.

Recently, law enforcement officers detained a representative of the NABU for the manufacture and sale of drugs. The criminal group he led cooked and sold amphetamine, and also engaged in smuggling of the precursor for drugs phenylnitropropene. The monthly income of the group is estimated at over 50 million hryvnias.

In addition, a journalistic investigation by "Ukrainian News" found that almost two dozen NABU employees were involved in a high-profile corruption scandal – their cryptocurrency declarations contain unreliable or fake data. Journalists suggested that NABU employees are engaged in fraud, hiding corruption millions in crypto wallets.