SBI director hopes legislative changes to help reduce problem of unauthorised absence from military units
Director of the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) Oleksiy Sukhachov hopes for the swiftest possible adoption of legislative changes that will help minimize the problem of unauthorized desertion, in particular by granting the prosecutor the authority to close a case if a soldier intends to return to active duty.
"Every year, we develop various tools and methods to combat this phenomenon (desertion). This involves direct communication with the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) command – drafting separate guidance letters for the leadership of the General Staff and the commands of the military branches – regarding specific incidents and situations in certain military units where unauthorized absence is systemic. This involves the potential identification, during the investigation, of the causes and conditions of desertion and the need for the military command to respond to them," Sukhachov said on Thursday in Kyiv during the presentation of the audit report on the State Bureau of Investigation's activities, conducted by the Accounting Chamber.
Representatives of the diplomatic corps from Ukraine's European partner countries were present at the audit presentation.
In addition, as Sukhachov said, the State Bureau of Investigations has repeatedly proposed to the Verkhovna Rada's Committee on Law Enforcement and the Committee on Security and Defense the possibility of reinstating military personnel in the State Security Service to active duty without criminal prosecution.
"But today we see that this crisis situation still exists. We put forward a proposal and communicated with members of the Committee on Law Enforcement regarding the introduction of appropriate changes. We are confident that there will be changes and progress," the SBI director said.
First and foremost, as he explained, this concerns granting the prosecutor the authority to directly close criminal proceedings if a servicemember has decided to return to the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Currently, as Sukhachov explained, such decisions are made by the court based on requests from prosecutors. "Given the vacancies in the courts and the heavy caseload, we are not achieving effective results in this area. That is why we discussed this with our colleagues and came up with this proposal," he said.
In addition, the SBI director recalled the initiative to transfer the investigation of crimes committed by the Special Forces to the Military Law Enforcement Service within the Armed Forces of Ukraine. "We are in communication with the Military Law Enforcement Service and the Ministry of Defense. We hope this issue will be resolved," Sukhachov said.
Earlier, in an exclusive interview with the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, the SBI director expressed hope that the Verkhovna Rada would support the initiative to grant the Military Law Enforcement Service within the Armed Forces the right to conduct pre-trial investigations into military personnel who, in particular, have deserted without authorization.
"Our proposal is as follows: to grant the Military Law Enforcement Service the authority to conduct pre-trial investigations. This can easily be done within the existing staffing levels of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, without increasing funding," Sukhachov said.
The director of the State Bureau of Investigation noted that the revamped pre-trial investigation body will be able to investigate criminal offenses such as high treason, desertion, insubordination, and certain other offenses.
According to him, the proposal is for the Military Law Enforcement Service to investigate crimes committed by military personnel who do not hold officer ranks.