13:07 31.07.2020

SBI did not dispute issue of Ukraine's receipt of Tomos - Sokolov

2 min read
SBI did not dispute issue of Ukraine's receipt of Tomos - Sokolov

The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) did not dispute the issue of granting Ukraine a Tomos of autocephaly, said the acting Director of SBI Oleksandr Sokolov, reported the press service of the department.

"As the head of SBI explained, the criminal proceedings, which the former president of Ukraine referred to in his public statements, in fact did not concern the Tomos, but the cancellation of registration of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP). It was registered on the basis of a court decision during the leadership of Roman Truba, and is now closed," the message says.

"The said proceedings were opened at the request of the believers of this community and raised the question that they are deprived of the opportunity to freely use the temples of this community. After conducting a pretrial investigation, assessing all possible facts and carrying out all the necessary search actions, this case is closed for now. Investigators have not established signs of a criminal offense, falling under Article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, namely the violation of the equality of citizens depending on their religious beliefs," Sokolov said.

According to him, the cancellation of the registration of the UOC-KP should be considered in the framework of administrative or civil proceedings. The head of SBI also warned public figures against politicizing the work of the department and speculating on religious topics.

"The SBI acts exclusively within the framework of current legislation and does not interfere in matters of religion. On this occasion, we have held consultations with representatives of various religious communities, to which the position of the State Bureau of Investigation was reported," Sokolov said.

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