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HOT ANTICORRUPTION NEWS / Issue #103
May 24, 2019
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Today's issue:

- President Zelenskyi called on Lutsenko to resign. Zelenskyi's first appointments;
- deputy head of the Security Service announced that the new draft law on SBU cuts its powers;
- private Israeli intelligence company was preparing attacks against AntAC in 2017 - investigation;
- attacks against activists: all-Ukrainian rally "Who is behind Handziuk's murder?", Odesa police lost evidence;
- recommended reading

 
President Zelenskyi called Lutsenko to resign.
Zelenskyi's first appointments

During his inauguration speech, President Zelenskyi called for the dismissal of the Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko, head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Vasyl Grytsak and the Defence Minister Stepan Poltorak. Both Grytsak and Poltorak filed resignation, and only Lutsenko is still trying to keep his post, refusing to leave voluntarily.  

President Zelenskyi made his first appointments to the President's Administration. Andriy Bogdan, former lawyer of Kolomoisky, was appointed as the Head of the Administration. There are strong legal arguments Bogdan was appointed in violation of lustration law. Specifically, the author of the law Tetiana Kozachenko claims the violation, while the President's Administration states there wasn't. The Ministry of Justice started the inspection

Ruslan Riaboshapka was appointed as the Deputy Head of the President's Administration. He will be covering anticorruption reform, law enforcement and judiciary. 

Also, Zelenskyi appointed Ivan Bakanov as the First Deputy Head of the SBU. Bakanov does not have experience in the security sector reform yet. 

 

Deputy head of the Security Service announced that the new draft law on SBU cuts its powers
Deputy head of the SBU Vadym Poyarkov announced at the VI meeting of the parliamentary-civil platform organized by the EU Advisory Mission that in the new draft law on the SBU, the service is deprived of powers to fight corruption and economic crimes. Unfortunately, the public had not seen this draft law yet so cannot assess. 

During the meeting, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation in Ukraine Annika Weidemann also stressed that the SBU's functions should be limited to counterintelligence, counterterrorism and protection of state secrecy.

The new draft law on the SBU should align its functions with the framework law on the national security which was adopted in June 2018.  
Private Israeli intelligence company was preparing attacks against AntAC in 2017 - investigation

The Israeli company Psy Group was behind the disinformation campaign against the Anti-Corruption Action Center in 2017. This is stated in the investigation of American journalist Scott Stedman for the publication Forensic News.

The journalist learnt about it due to the trial in Canada. Hundreds of pages of court documents, as well as questionnings of many people familiar with activities of Psy Group, showed for the first time that the company conducted the disinformation campaign which was aimed at two anti-corruption activists in Ukraine, namely: Vitaliy Shabunin and Daria Kaleniuk. More details

Ukraine asked: Who is behind Handziuk's murder? 
On May 18, the initiative "Who is behind the murder of Katya Handziuk?" held all-Ukrainian rally simultaneously in 40 cities and towns in Ukraine, as well as 7 foreign cities. People all over Ukraine and the world were calling on new Ukrainian authorities: to respond quickly and rigorously to every attack; to dismiss all those responsible for the failure to investigate attacks on activists; to bring to justice fairly all the circle of instigators, performers, saboteurs of the murder investigation of Katya Handziuk, those, who disclosed information of the investigation and self-promoted on the blood; put the end to the era of lies, irresponsibility, impunity. Full text
During the meeting of the Parliament's Temporary Investigative Commission on May 23, Deputy Head of the National Police Vitaliy Nevgad announced that Odesa police lost evidence in the proceedings regarding attacks against local activists Serhiy Sternenko and Valentyna Makarova. Apparently, Odesa police officers were engaged in these attacks and therefore cannot investigate them. 
Recommended Reading
 
Copyright © *2019* Anti-corruption Action Centre*, All rights reserved.

Should you have any questions or comments please contact Olena Halushka at: ohalushka@antac.org.ua

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