"Leaks" in the NABU: Krivonos announces completion of official investigation into Uglava

The internal investigation into possible pressure on whistleblowers, in which NABU First Deputy Director Gizo Uglava is involved, has been completed, and violations have been recorded. This was stated by the director of the bureau, Semen Kryvonos.

Yesterday, I approved the conclusion of the internal investigation, which concerned events after the pre-trial investigation into the leaks had been launched - this is an internal investigation into possible pressure on whistleblowers and other related issues... The investigation revealed certain violations of both the NABU Code of Ethics and the Law "On Civil Service", as well as a number of other regulatory acts

He said that the conclusion included objections provided by Gizo Uglava.

Now this conclusion should be considered by the disciplinary commission and finally determine whether the person is guilty or not, whether a violation has occurred or not, and provide appropriate recommendations on the application or non-application of appropriate sanctions against certain persons.

According to his forecasts, the disciplinary commission will consider the conclusion of the internal investigation in two to three weeks.

Kryvonos emphasized that this internal investigation does not concern the leakage of information from the NABU, another pre-trial investigation is being conducted regarding the "leaks" and its results will be reported separately. 

Context

At the end of May, NABU was caught up in a scandal - it became known about the alleged disclosure of data of the pre-trial investigation by representatives of the bureau. As a result, NABU Director Semen Kryvonos suspended his first deputy, Gizo Uglava, from his duties for the duration of the pre-trial investigation.

In connection with the scandal, members of the Verkhovna Rada Anti-Corruption Committee decided to summon NABU Director Semen Kryvonos to a meeting. However, he refused to come to the meeting. Therefore, the members of the anti-corruption committee held an offsite meeting at NABU.

It is worth noting that Gizo Uglava, after becoming a subject of the NABU investigation himself, admitted that there were serious problems with the investigation conducted by anti-corruption officials and noted that the bureau was not focused on establishing the truth but on achieving "external goals.

This was pointed out even by international auditors.

In addition, the first deputy director of the NABU, Uglava, stated that the bureau was under threat of losing its independence, and detectives were under political pressure, which significantly reduced the effectiveness of the fight against corruption.