The State Bureau of Investigations has announced a thorough investigation into the information regarding the publication of private photographs of one of the individuals involved in the criminal proceedings. Although the official statement does not name the person, the head of the “Center for Combating Corruption,” Vitaliy Shabunin, accused the DBR and the Office of the Prosecutor General of allegedly disseminating his intimate photos, which were seized from his phone during a search.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Response from DBR and the Prosecutor’s Office
The DBR’s message indicates an intention to investigate all employees who may have had access to confidential information regarding the individual involved in the criminal proceedings. The Bureau notes that recently, several media outlets have published private photographs of the person involved in the investigation, which has sparked a wave of public accusations against the law enforcement system.
“The State Bureau of Investigations will thoroughly investigate employees related to private information concerning one of the individuals involved in the criminal proceedings. Several media outlets have recently published private photographs of a person who is a subject of the Bureau’s criminal proceedings. This has led to a wave of false accusations against the State Bureau of Investigations and the law enforcement system as a whole.”
The agency emphasized that if the involvement of employees in the incident is confirmed, strict measures will be taken, and those responsible will be held accountable under the law.
The Office of the Prosecutor General, in a comment to the media, stated that it is responding to all possible accusations. If facts of unlawful dissemination of pre-trial investigation materials are established, they will receive appropriate legal assessment. The Prosecutor’s Office also stressed that the published photos of Vitaliy Shabunin are unrelated to the case, and an investigation can only occur after a statement from the victim, which has not yet been received.
Background of the Case and Positions of the Parties
Since July of last year, searches at Vitaliy Shabunin’s place of work and residence have been known. The DBR suspects him of systematic evasion of military service and illegal use of a military vehicle. According to the “Center for Combating Corruption,” the DBR’s accusations relate to the period from September 2022 to February 2023, when Shabunin’s unit was stationed in Sukholuchchya in Kyiv region, while he himself was assigned to the National Agency for Prevention of Corruption. The organization has called these accusations absurd.
Vitaliy Shabunin himself considers the criminal proceedings against him to be “a step towards the corrupt authoritarianism of Zelensky.” The President’s Office has not commented on the situation. In July, the court chose a preventive measure for Shabunin in the form of personal obligation.
In March of last year, Shabunin reported two criminal proceedings against him, which, according to him, the DBR registered due to alleged evasion of military service and forgery of documents from the NAPC. He claims that he did not evade service and published a photo of his military ID, which states that he took the oath on February 25, 2022. The activist describes the cases against him as “idiotic.” At that time, the DBR reported that the initiation of the case was required by the court.