Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
The lawyer for the SBU general Serhiy Duke stated that his client could not obstruct the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) search in the “Carpathian” case, because at that moment he was sleeping. According to the defense, Alpha, the special unit of the SBU, did not let the detectives into the house. They allegedly protect Duke’s life and health, information about which exists in another criminal proceeding.
This was reported by Slidstvo.Info.
In the High Anti-Corruption Court, on November 6, a preventive measure was chosen for the former deputy head of the National Statehood Department of the SBU, Serhiy Duke. The man was remanded in custody with an option for a bail of 65 million hryvnias.
At the court session, the prosecutor from SAP, Mykola Karas, stated that during the search of Duke’s residence, armed people directed laser pointers at NABU officers. According to the defense, at that time the suspect was sleeping.
“The person is resting. Therefore to say that he gave a command to direct any laser pointers or something like that and that Duke did it — is absurd,” said Sukhov.
In addition, the lawyer emphasized that Duke does not command the Alpha unit and could not issue orders to the fighters during the search.
“My client will say that he does not control ‘Alpha’. ‘Alpha’ is subordinate to another person. And when she begins to operate, no one but the person who makes the decision and who leads her can stop Alpha’s actions,” noted Sukhov.
This was confirmed by Duke himself. He added: “If they had knocked on the door and said that NABU was conducting searches, I would of course have opened. But as it is, I could do nothing.”
According to the lawyer, Alpha fighters were performing tasks to protect his client’s life and health, information about which exists in another criminal case.
In response to the SAP prosecutor Mykola Karas’s statement that during the search Duke, with an ax, broke phones for several hours, Sukhov said that there is no evidence in the investigation that the gadgets actually belonged to his client.
“We are talking about a SBU major general who destroyed evidence in the criminal case,” prosecutor Mykola Karas of SAP said in court while showing a phone that, according to him, was smashed with an ax by the suspect in the Carpathian case, Serhiy Duke. This happened when NABU detectives arrived at… pic.twitter.com/KQPWlqbNfc
— Slidstvo (@Slidstvo_info) November 6, 2026
“Did they establish whose phones these are? Maybe it was a child who broke the phone? Maybe the mother or mother-in-law lives in the house? Maybe she dropped this phone? Maybe these are old phones that have nothing to do with the case?” the lawyer emphasized.
The SAP prosecutor called such behavior insolent and aimed at obstructing lawful actions of NABU. According to him, reference to a security measures order does not justify obstruction of the investigator judge’s ruling.
“The order on a security measures has no higher legal force than the ruling of the investigator judge. Therefore, all of this was obstruction. If it could be realized — in fact, evidence that could indicate illegal activity was destroyed, what can be said about other actions that may be taken,” the prosecutor said.
As a reminder, Serhiy Duke was detained on 4 November within the NABU and SAP operation “Carpathian.” The former deputy head of the National Statehood Department of the SBU is suspected of participation in an organized criminal group using his official position for this purpose. According to the investigation, he was involved in shielding attention from the security services.
Currently, within this case, NABU and SAP have indicted five suspects. Four of them have already had preventive measures chosen, and the suspect who leads the criminal organization remains in custody since July within another criminal proceeding.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "«Він спав у цей час»: захист Дуки заперечив, що генерал СБУ погрожував зброєю і трощив телефони під час обшуку у справі «Карфаген»". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Slidstvo.Info.