Law enforcement agencies colluded with corruption suspects before attack on anti-graft bodies, detective says
Law enforcement agencies together with suspects in a large-scale corruption case allegedly collected information on investigators of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) before one of the detectives was arrested in July, Oleksandr Abakumov, a NABU detective, said on Nov. 25.
Abakumov was referring to a case involving state nuclear power company Energoatom, the biggest corruption investigation during Volodymyr Zelensky's presidency. Eight suspects have been charged by the NABU in the case, and Timur Mindich, a close associate of the president, is allegedly the ringleader.
The arrests of two NABU detectives in July were seen by critics as part of a crackdown on the bureau triggered by its investigations against Zelensky's top allies.
Amid the crackdown, Zelensky signed a law that subordinated the NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) to the prosecutor general, an official appointed by the president. The bureau's independence was later restored following street protests and pressure from Brussels.
Abakumov said on Nov. 25 at a meeting of parliament's anti-corruption committee that, at a money laundering office used in the Energoatom scheme, the NABU had found a cache of reports. These contained personal data on 15 NABU detectives who investigated corruption in the energy sector and at law enforcement agencies, he said.
"The form, substance, and content of these documents suggest that they were prepared by law enforcement agencies," he added.
He also mentioned "the deliberate work of other state and law enforcement agencies aimed at obstructing NABU investigations."
Reports on NABU detectives Ruslan Mahamedrasulov, Vitaliy Tebekin, and Yevhen Tokar were created on July 17 — several days before the Prosecutor General's Office, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), and the State Investigation Bureau conducted at least 70 searches at the NABU.
During the searches, the SBU arrested Mahamedrasulov, who investigated the Energoatom case, in a case that critics believe to be a political vendetta. The SBU, which is loyal to the Zelensky administration, accuses Mahamedrasulov and his father of planning to serve as intermediaries in cannabis sales to the Russian republic of Dagestan.
However, the audio recording where Dagestan is allegedly mentioned is of poor quality. The SBU's critics argue that Uzbekistan, not Dagestan, is mentioned in the tape.
Meanwhile, a key witness who has refuted the SBU's claims has been charged with perjury and arrested — something that critics interpret as illegal pressure.
Abakumov also said that NABU investigators had discovered a total of 527 reports containing personal data on different people at the money laundering office used by suspects in the Energoatom case.
Specifically, the suspects collected information on 16 lawmakers, 18 ministers and deputy ministers, 10 journalists, and nine SBU employees, he said.
Law enforcement officials are being investigated for allegedly aiding suspects in the Energoatom corruption scheme.
Several law enforcement agencies are mentioned in tapes released by the Anti-Corruption Bureau as part of the case. These include the Prosecutor General's Office, the SBU and the State Investigation Bureau.
Semen Kryvonos, head of the NABU, also said on Nov. 17 that unidentified people had monitored NABU employees' movements through Kyiv's municipal surveillance camera system.
"Members of the (Energoatom) criminal group say (in the NABU tapes) that they are being surveilled (by the bureau)," he added. "Some law enforcement employees may be implicated in aiding this criminal group and specifically in transferring information about the movement of (NABU) vehicles."
