Ukraine's Security Service denies investigating top anti-graft prosecutor
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) denied on Oct. 9 media reporting suggesting it was investigating a possible involvement of chief anti-corruption prosecutor Oleksandr Klymenko in a criminal case.
Media outlet Babel reported on Oct. 6, citing its sources, that Klymenko, head of Ukraine's Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), is being investigated by the SBU in connection with a case brought against Fedir Khrystenko.
Khrystenko is a Ukrainian lawmaker charged with treason for allegedly cooperating with Russian intelligence. He had been living in Dubai but was brought back to Ukraine in September.
The SBU press service confirmed that the investigation into Khrystenko is ongoing, but denied that Klymenko is being investigated in connection with the case.
Reports that the prosecutor "may soon be charged, providing grounds for a possible suspension from office," are also untrue, the security agency said.
In July, the SBU claimed that Khrystenko had been in contact with detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).
Two sources also reportedly told Babel that he was testifying against Klymenko in a case related to three bureau employees.
The NABU employees are being investigated in a potential misconduct case after gaining employment at Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukraine’s state railway company, following their handling of cases at the railway company.
When contacted by the Kyiv Independent earlier this week, Klymenko said such reports "are nothing other than a continuation of pressure on anti-corruption agencies."
The news follows other developments in the conflict between SAPO and NABU on the one hand and the SBU and the Presidential Office on the other.
The confrontation started in July, when the SBU and other law enforcement agencies conducted at least 70 searches at NABU premises and charged a NABU employee with treason.
The next day, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a bill that effectively eliminated the independence of NABU and SAPO. The law was later rolled back after large-scale street demonstrations and protests from European partners.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
