Scandal over the wiretapping of Honcharuk. The investigation knows who did it

Scandal over the wiretapping of Honcharuk. The investigation knows who did it

The Pechersky District Court of Kyiv 16 January extended the pretrial investigation by six months into the interference with the activities of a state official (part 2 of Art. 344 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine), which is being conducted by the territorial office of the State Bureau of Investigations in Kyiv (DBR).

The investigation is gathering information about an official meeting that took place between 19.00 and 21.00 hours on 27 September 2019 on the sixth floor of the administrative building of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

Participants included then-Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk; Minister of Energy and Environmental Protection Oleksiy Orzhel; Minister for Communities and Territories Development Aliona Babak; Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture Tymofiy Mylovanov; Deputy Minister of Finance Vasyl Shkurakov; CEO of NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine Andriy Koboliev; head of the gas department of NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine Andriy Favarov; head of the Asset Management Department of the National Agency for Detection, Recovery and Management of Assets Obtained from Corruption and Other Crimes (ARMA) Vitaliy Riznyk; and head of the Asset Management Performance Monitoring Division of ARMA (currently acting head of ARMA) Vitaliy Sihydyn.

During the meeting, issues were discussed regarding the country's readiness for the heating season 2019/2020, in particular the consequences of a possible cessation of natural gas transit through Ukraine's territory and the conclusion of a new contract between Naftogaz of Ukraine and PJSC Gazprom (Russia); certain aspects of ARMA's activities and the management of state CHPs; the state's cooperation with the International Monetary Fund in the context of gas payment issues, and so on. The meeting did not invite media representatives or other outsiders to prevent the disclosure of information whose dissemination could cause irreparable harm to the state's interests, including in the field of energy security. However, as the investigation found, participant Sihydyn, acting on the request of the former head of ARMA (likely referring to Anton Yanchuk, whom the Cabinet dismissed in December 2019), made a covert audio recording of the meeting using an Apple Watch digital wrist device, saving the recording on the voice recorder of his Apple iPhone mobile phone.

Sihydyn did not inform those present that he was making the audio recording. That same day, at approximately 22 hours 00 minutes, Sihydyn, while near ARMA’s administrative premises, handed a copy of the meeting’s audio recording to the head of ARMA’s legal department for listening, analysis and expressing his view on the meeting’s conduct. Subsequently, this audio recording was disseminated among ARMA employees. In January 2020 a transcript of the official meeting held on 27 September 2019 was published on the Stopkor website. The outlet explained that it received the recordings by email from an unknown sender. According to the DBR, searches have been conducted at ARMA premises, during which items related to the criminal proceeding were found and seized; witnesses have been interviewed and three computer-technical examinations have been ordered.

Note that the punishment for interference with the activities of a state official (part 2 of Art. 344 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) is provided in the form of a fine from 5,1 thousand UAH to 8,5 thousand UAH or restriction of liberty for up to three years, or imprisonment for the same term. As is known, in mid-January 2020 a scandal erupted in Ukraine around then-young Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk. In particular, a series of recordings of conversations with the voice of the head of the Cabinet appeared online, in which he allowed himself ambiguous remarks about President Volodymyr Zelensky. This occurred during a closed meeting attended by the leadership of the National Bank, the Ministry of Finance and a deputy head of the Office of the President. “Zelensky has a very primitive, meaning simple, understanding of economic processes. He understands: there is a balance of payments, it changes a lot, and the hryvnia has strengthened a lot. Abnormally. He is looking for an answer to this question… Because until we have an answer in the president's head, there will be an empty space there and this crap about bonds will fly into it. And it only gets into his head because he has fog about this topic,” said the person with Honcharuk’s voice.

After that, Honcharuk submitted a resignation letter, but the president did not accept it. However, two months after the audio recordings appeared, the Verkhovna Rada dismissed Oleksiy Honcharuk from the post of Prime Minister of Ukraine. Recall, the import of Russian and Belarusian electricity is pure looting, not a forced step, which officials are trying to convince Ukrainians of. Oleg Lyashko said this on the air of Ukraina 24 channel, commenting on the resumption of electricity imports from the aggressor country from February 2021.