19:33 09.07.2020

Koretsky not planning to resign from SBI, says most cases against Poroshenko have no prospects

3 min read

KYIV. July 9 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Oleh Koretsky, the head of the Third Bureau of the Department for Investigation into Criminal Offences Committed by Officials, Main Investigations Department of the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) has said that he does not plan to resign from the SBI, adding that most criminal cases against fifth President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko have not prospects.

"I am not afraid of dismissal from the State Bureau of Investigations. I think most of the criminal cases against Poroshenko, which the SBI is investigating today, have not prospects. In particular, the case on lawfulness of the appointment of [Serhiy] Semochko as First Deputy Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine," he said at a press conference hosted by the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency on Thursday.

Koretsky also said that his decision to close one of the cases against Poroshenko related to PJSC Kuznya on Rybalsky (formerly known as Leninska Kuznya) was hundred per cent legal and reasonable.

"In my opinion, there is no event of crime, I mean there is no fact of tax evasion. Yesterday I have sent my decision to the Office of the Prosecutor General so that the prosecutor, who controls the investigation process, can check its compliance with the law. We'll see what decision they will make. Although I admit that a heavy pressure will be imposed on this prosecutor," he said.

The SBI investigator also said that all necessary investigatory procedures have been carried out within most cases of the SBI in which Poroshenko is involved.

"In January-February 2020, I came to then SBU chiefs Oleksandr Sokolov and Oleksandr Babikov and informed them that I and the investigators think that a range of cases should be closed as the investigations into them had no prospects and all necessary investigative procedures had been carried out," he said.

According to Koretsky, the SBI chiefs replied that he should continue investigating those cases, after which he expressed disagreement and underwent "a rather strong pressure."

"After about a month I was faced with the fact that I have to leave the SBI, I had to quit," he said.

Koretsky said that he will not resign from the SBI on his own. He stressed that he has underwent the lie detection procedure four times during a contest for his position and during his work for the SBI.

"The latest one was conducted about two months ago. According to all these lie detection checks, they did not establish any violations of the legislation from my side. And no one in the SBI said anything two months ago," he said.

As reported, on July 8, the SBI said that Koretsky's statements about pressure he was allegedly undergoing were false and politically motivated.

The SBI's internal control department is checking into the information that was made public by Koretsky, the SBI said.

Earlier, Koretsky said that "Kharkiv representatives" were imposing pressure on him with the aim of opening criminal cases against Poroshenko.

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