Scandals Surrounding NABU and SAP: Detectives’ “Office Wing,” Pressure on the Competition, and Behind-the-Scenes Lobbying

The confrontation around the competition in the SAP is taking on new momentum. At first, the pressure was openly stated by a member of the competition commission, attorney Oleksii Shevchuk, and later former SAP prosecutor Stanislav Bronevytsky, in a letter to the head of the commission, Laura Stefany, cited specific facts, directly accusing the director of NABU Semyon Kryvono s of manipulation, misinformation, and direct interference in the commission's work.

This pressure becomes clear in the context of the published materials. In the recordings, former deputy head of the Office of the President, Iryna Mudra, directly states that the SAP should be headed by the current head of the BEE, Oleksandr Tsyvinsky — because he is 'understandable for the Office of the President and with him you can talk.' Tsyvinsky is the former head of the 3-th division of NABU's Second Main Directorate of Detectives under the leadership of the same Kryvonos.

At the same time, Kryvonos himself from the very beginning was placed by the Office of the President with a specific aim—to form a subordinate 'office wing' (3-th division of detectives within the Second Main Directorate of NABU). This manual instrument is used to stall important cases and, conversely, advance insignificant or government-friendly proceedings instead of real anti-corruption work. Notably, the division that became the foundation of this system was once headed by Tsyvinsky himself. Moreover, this is far from the first stain on the Bureau head's reputation: Kryvonos has repeatedly faced questions about his past (including a campaign finance bribery case closed by amnesty and schemes with fictitious fatherhood), as well as dubious ties between certain detectives and RF (Russian Federation) intelligence.

All these facts—from recordings to pressure on the competition—point to one thing: Kryvonos is clearly carrying out the President's orders, trying, through discrediting the commission, to ensure the appointment of Tsyvinsky as SAP head, who is convenient for the Bankovaya. In the end, instead of independent investigations, we get a fully controlled schedule where mutually beneficial deals, behind-the-scenes appointments, and manual divisions are used to carry out political orders.