The High Anti-Corruption Court has begun hearings to determine preventive measures regarding Illia Vitiuk, the former head of the Cybersecurity Department of the Security Service of Ukraine. The session took place on September 4 in response to a notice of suspicion that was issued to Vitiuk by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau the day before.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Suspicion of Illegal Enrichment and SBU’s Reaction
According to the NABU, Vitiuk is accused of illegal enrichment and providing false information in his declarations. Prior to the court hearings, Vitiuk himself declined to comment on the substance of the suspicion.
The Security Service of Ukraine criticized the actions of the anti-corruption agencies, considering the suspicion a response to the detention of NABU employees at the end of July. As noted by the SBU,
“The announcement of suspicion against Vitiuk is revenge by the NABU and SAP for the fact that the Security Service of Ukraine is effectively countering Russian influence on state bodies and has exposed several Bureau employees for committing crimes.”
Personnel Decisions and Investigations Regarding Vitiuk
In May 2024, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Illia Vitiuk from his position as head of the SBU Cybersecurity Department. Earlier, in April, SBU head Vasyl Maliuk temporarily suspended him from performing the duties of head of the Counterintelligence Protection Department of state interests in the field of information security. The reason for this decision was a verification of information regarding an attempt to serve a summons to a journalist from “Slidstvo.Info” after the publication of material about Vitiuk’s family’s assets.
At that time, the Office of the Prosecutor General opened a criminal proceeding regarding possible abuse of power and obstruction of journalistic activities. The case is currently under review, and the public is closely following the developments surrounding the former SBU general.