For the first time in nine years of NABU’s work, a lawyer was allowed to participate in the disciplinary commission of the bureau Managing partner of AVER LEX law firm Olga Prosyanyuk said that she was allowed to defend the First Deputy Director of NABU Gizo Uglava, Komersant ukrainskyi
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The lawyer said that this is the first time that a lawyer has been allowed to represent the interests of a client in the NABU disciplinary commission. However, she noted that the hearing was not public.
“I will have a unique experience – defending the First Deputy Director of the NABU Gizo Uglava in the NABU Disciplinary Commission. It’s a pity that this hearing was not made public. In 9 years, this will be the first case in which a lawyer will participate,” the lawyer said.
The hearing, which lasted almost five hours, concerned the possible dismissal of NABU First Deputy Director Gizo Uglava.
The Commission heard the lawyer’s arguments, but the members of the Commission decided to adjourn until next week for a more detailed analysis of the situation.
It is worth noting that NABU Director Semen Kryvonos did not attend the meeting of the Verkhovna Rada Anti-Corruption Committee, which concerned media reports on the alleged disclosure of pre-trial investigation data by NABU employees. Therefore, MPs decided to hold an offsite meeting at the NABU.
As reported by Kommersant Ukrayinsky , detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau are writing massive reports on their management.
Sources of Kommersant Ukrayinsky claim that NABU detectives report, in particular, on the First Deputy Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, Gizo Uglava, on cases of interference in the work of detectives, unspoken instructions, information leaks, etc.
The detectives became active after the scandal of information leakage in a high-profile case.
What is known about the “information leak” in the NABU
on 22 May, the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office conducted searches at the home of an NABU employee suspected of abuse of office.
The media reported that the searches were conducted as part of a criminal investigation into the ‘big construction’ case.
As the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office explained earlier, one and a half billion hryvnias disappeared during the Big Construction project. The case involves the former head of the Dnipro Regional State Administration Valentyn Reznichenko and his partner, the current consultant to the Prosecutor General’s Office Yurii Holyk.
It should be noted that the Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau has suspended his first deputy, Gizo Uglava, to ensure an “objective pre-trial investigation” launched over the alleged leak.
The anti-corruption agencies promised to make the results of the investigation public.
What is known about Gizo Uglava
Gizo Uglava worked at the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia from 1998 to 2012. During this period, he received three state awards: The Medal of Honour, the Order of Honour and the Order of the Shining.
In 2015, Uglava was granted Ukrainian citizenship and became the first deputy director of the new anti-corruption body, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). In April 2022, he began acting as NABU Director due to the absence of a permanent head. In March 2023, Semen Kryvonos was appointed NABU Director.
In 2017, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine opened a case against Uglava to find out whether he had Georgian citizenship at the time of his appointment to a public office in Ukraine. The NABU stated that the proceedings were a form of pressure on the organisation and explained that Uglava automatically lost his Georgian citizenship when he obtained Ukrainian citizenship.