NABU has lost its grip, it's chasing flies and issuing fines to the old ladies – journalist

"NABU has increasingly come to resemble proverbial law enforcement agency that prioritizes statistic figures over genuine anti-corruption efforts," journalist Nikolov wrote. Their approach often borders on mere 'tagging off' the offenders. The cases would fall apart, or suspects would be given the option to settle through a 'sin, pay, continue sinning' deal. Even worse, NABU seems to have lost its investigative edge entirely, turning into a bureaucratic district office where officers chase flies and issue petty fines to street vendors old ladies", – Nikolov stated.

He noted that it was highlighted by the reaction Semen Kryvonos, head of NABU, expressed to the scandal with a detective who resigned due to a workplace conflict and reported a collapsing state of affairs in the bureau.

"In recent days, the head of NABU has made several public statements, from which it became clear to me personally that the bureau is no longer like it used to be. And my old jokes that it would be easier to close it and sell its building carry only a fraction of the joke", – Nikolov wrote.

The events took place in January 2024, he noted, when NABU detective Andrii Denisyuk resigned and wrote a letter criticizing the work of the bureau.

"Detective Andrii Denisyuk, who was investigating corruption in the field of drone procurement, decided to resign due to problems with the ability to conduct an investigation. He wrote a farewell letter to his former colleagues describing the dire situation. This letter was published in the media and became the second evidence of problems in NABU after another detective announced the leak of materials last summer. As a result of the summer scandal, Gizo Uglava, the first deputy director of NABU, was removed from his post", – Nikolov said.

Nikolov has claimed that the scandal involving NABU detective Denisyuk erupted at a critical moment – while an international audit was assessing the performance of the bureau’s director, Semen Kryvonos.

"The NABU leadership immediately organized an off-the-record briefing to persuade dozens of journalists that Denisyuk was incompetent and had mishandled an investigation," Nikolov stated. "I was present at that briefing – it was a coordinated smear campaign against someone who dared to expose a major issue within the bureau. And it wasn’t just a few officials involved; the entire NABU leadership participated, from the director to the heads of key departments", – summarized the journalist.

Context:

In January, political expert Oleg Posternak wrote that by leaking classified internal information, former NABU detective Denisyuk exposed a deep crisis that reigns in the bureau. “The case with Denisyuk is a demonstration of how one person, through his own unprofessionalism, with a single act, exposed all the chaos, disorder, and lawlessness in an agency that was supposed to become a participant in the Ukrainian anti-corruption campaign. But it never did”, – the expert emphasized.

The State Bureau of Investigation has registered criminal proceedings against NABU Director Semen Kryvonos and his deputy Polina Lysenko for fraud during the hiring for a managerial position in the bureau, reported Olga Komarova, a journalist, and head of the communications department of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union on Facebook in June 2023.