Gizo Uglava, the first deputy director of Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), was suspended amid an ongoing investigation into a possible leak from the bureau, NABU said on May 24.
Uglava was suspended at the order of NABU's director, which was based on a statement about a possible conflict of interests to "ensure an objective pre-trial investigation."
Prosecutors said they had opened a case into abuse of power and an alleged leak of investigative information by a NABU detective, whose house was searched on May 22.
Uglava is also under investigation in the leak case, a law enforcement source told the Kyiv Independent.
The leak was connected to a corruption case centered around the government's "Big Construction" project, the source said. The project is focused on infrastructure development and has been heavily promoted by President Volodymyr Zelensky's administration in public relations campaigns.
Yury Holyk, an influential businessman, allegedly oversaw an embezzlement scheme in the government's major construction projects, after which his firm obtained significant revenue, according to an investigation by the Bihus.info investigative journalism project published last October.
The leaks led to the loss of most of the evidence in the case, prompting criticism from anti-corruption activists and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) opening an investigation into the incident.
Uglava, a 48-year-old native of Kutaisi in Georgia, began his career as a prosecutor in his home country and was a member of former Prime Minister and President Mikheil Saakashvili's team.
He moved to Ukraine in 2014, receiving Ukrainian citizenship and the appointment as NABU's first deputy director a year later.
Oleg Sukhov
(Updated: )
