Prosecutors lack independence, NABU has a rigid vertical under the director – former SAPO prosecutor accuses leadership of anti-corruption agencies

Former prosecutor Stanislav Bronevytskyi believes that the heads of the SAPO and NABU, Klymenko and Kryvonos, have established manual control over anti-corruption structures. They have built a rigid vertical hierarchy that is subordinated to political interests and excludes the independence of prosecutors and detectives. He stated this while answering questions from Oleksiy Honcharenko, chairman of the Verkhovna Rada temporary investigative commission on investigating possible violations of Ukrainian legislation in the defense sector, anti-corruption legislation of Ukraine, and the observance of human rights and freedoms during martial law, UNN reports.

"The current leadership is definitely leading both the SAPO and NABU in the wrong direction," Bronevytskyi noted.

According to him, with the arrival of Oleksandr Klymenko in August 2022, SAPO prosecutors turned into "pens" that sign documents at the direction of the head and NABU detectives.

"Prosecutors were deprived of independence and the ability to disagree with detectives. Now, a SAPO prosecutor as an individual figure is not independent—he depends on the leadership," the former SAPO prosecutor said.

He cited examples of pressure on prosecutors: Khyt did not agree with Klymenko's position on one of the cases and was dismissed from the SAPO on trumped-up grounds. Similarly, prosecutor Omelchenko, who approved sending Kniaziev's phone to Poland for forensic examination, was also dismissed, he said.

Answering a question regarding NABU Director Semen Kryvonos, Bronevytskyi emphasized that he has a negative view of him, as the Bureau has become maximally politicized during his leadership.

"Formally, the NABU director is not the head of the pre-trial investigation body. But in reality, the entire vertical in the NABU is built by Mr. Kryvonos. Accordingly, he knows everything that happens there. He is briefed on criminal proceedings," he stated.

The former SAPO prosecutor recalled the "leaks" of information from the NABU, which, according to audit findings, are a chronic problem for the Bureau, for which no NABU employee has been held criminally liable. He called such a situation "humiliating" for a pre-trial investigation body.

He specifically focused on the scandal regarding Kryvonos's fictitious adoption of a child to avoid imprisonment for voter bribery, as well as the criminal case regarding a bribe in which the Bureau director is a person of interest, and his land machinations in the Obukhiv district of the Kyiv region.

In his opinion, the selection commission for the head of the NABU was biased in favor of Kryvonos, which is why it did not investigate this information, while he himself avoided clear answers during the interview as much as possible.

Furthermore, Bronevytskyi emphasized that Kryvonos's deputy traveled to NABU regional offices with recommendations not to react to negative information about the Bureau director.

"I am aware that Mr. Gyulmagomedov traveled, in particular, to the Lviv territorial administration of the NABU, where he spoke with detectives and conveyed a request not to react in any way to information about Mr. Kryvonos, his involvement in possible corruption in the Obukhiv district, and the adoption of a child to avoid criminal liability," he stated.

Summarizing the above, the chairman of the parliamentary TIC, Oleksiy Honcharenko, invited the heads of the NABU and SAPO to its next meeting and also announced that the information voiced would be transferred to law enforcement agencies.

"I am addressing the heads of the NABU and SAPO, Messrs. Kryvonos and Klymenko, and inviting them to the next meeting of the TIC. We want to hear the position of the leadership of the anti-corruption bodies regarding everything that was voiced today at the meeting. Also, the corresponding transcript of our meeting will be sent to law enforcement agencies," he stated.