The State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) has confirmed the fact of searches at the residence of the owner of Pryamiy TV Channel, Volodymyr Makeyenko, press secretary of the SBI Anzhelika Ivanova has told Interfax-Ukraine.

"We can confirm the fact of searches at the house of the owner of the channel," she said.

At the same time, Ivanova noted that searches were carried out as part of the investigation into criminal proceedings on the sale and purchase of the channel.

Earlier it was reported on the website of the TV channel that the search at Makeyenko's house was carried out by an investigator who refused to report which law enforcement agency he represented. He also said that the search was carried out according to a court ruling, but refused to tell which one and within which case.

As reported, the State Bureau of Investigations is conducting an investigation into the case of possible abuses of Ukraine's fifth president Petro Poroshenko during the sale and purchase of the channel. The case was opened at the request of the former deputy head of the presidential administration of Ukraine during the presidency of Viktor Yanukovych, Andriy Portnov.