On July 3 Verkhovna Rada supported the inquiry by People’s Deputies Hryhory Omelchenko and Anatoly Yermak to Prosecutor General Mykhailo Potebenko and Security Service head Volodymyr Radchenko. The inquiry has a sensational title: “On opening a criminal investigation against the former head of the Security Service (SBU) Leonid Derkach, People’s Deputy Andriy Derkach, Vadym Rabynovych, and other persons based on the facts publicized on the Criminal Ukraine Internet site with the purpose of bringing these persons to justice.”
According to the text of the inquiry, the Verkhovna Rada deputies urged filing criminal charges, set up a group of investigators including experts from the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Security Service of Ukraine and undertake a comprehensive, full, and impartial investigation of each fact mentioned in the materials published by journalist Oleh Yeltsov.
According to the materials, SBU former Director Leonid Derkach and People’s Deputy Andriy Derkach allegedly maintained business links with representatives of criminal syndicates.
Recall the background. On June 25, 2001, the SBU filed criminal charges on the strength of Article 67, part 1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine allegedly for unauthorized disclosure of state secrets on the Criminal Ukraine site. Oleh Yeltsov, one of the authors of this Internet site, has been called to testify as a witness. The legal cause for opening a criminal investigation, the SBU says, is the use by the journalist of the copies of several classified documents in his story about the former SBU Director Leonid Derkach. Speaking to Interfax- Ukraine on July 2, Mr. Yeltsov said he does not consider the filing of criminal charges against him by the SBU as some political contract.
Yeltsov stressed that he has no claims to the SBU in terms of how the investigation is being carried out, except for the search in his apartment, saying he had voluntarily agreed to turn over all materials and documents he has and, therefore, there was no need for the search. He also noted that under the Criminal Code information on the criminal abuse of office by officials is not a state secret.
