Almost none of the officials of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) submitted their electronic declarations to the system of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NAZK) as required by law. Back in June 2016, SBU decided to classify the e-declarations of its employees, including management, as secret and top secret and created its own alternative register. NAZK itself stirred SBU into action by creating “favorable conditions” for this. This was stated by Olena Shcherban, lawyer of the Anti-Corruption Action Centre, during a briefing held at Ukraine Crisis Media Center. “The law provides an exception for those who are engaged in operational investigative activities and counterintelligence. There is a special way of filing declarations for them. These persons perform secret tasks. Their positions and names are kept secret. Their declarations cannot be opened, they must be secret. At the same time, the leadership’s declarations do not fall into this category and cannot be kept secret,” said Mrs. Shcherban.
However, NAZK must approve this special way of filing declarations by SBU investigators. The Agency has not done this yet, thus creating favorable conditions for both SBU and other bodies involved in similar activities to classify their declarations. This, however, does not explain the SBU leadership’s refusal to file their declarations. “One thing is hidden declarations of counterintelligence officers, people who work undercover. It requires a special procedure, it is disputable. But there is no excuse for the leaders of SBU as to why their declarations are not in the system. SBU deputy heads are appointed by an open Presidential decree. Everyone knows that Office “K” is headed by Mr. Demchyna. Why can we not see his possessions? There is no legal or logical reason for SBU leaders to hide their possessions,” stressed Vitaliy Shabunin, Head of the Anti-Corruption Action Centre.
Anti-Corruption Action Centre is going to sue for the opening of electronic declarations of SBU leadership.