Ukraine Probes Alleged Bribery Network, SBU Removes Two Officials

Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutors Office said on November 4 they had uncovered a criminal group accused of bribing senior officials to protect scam call centers and other illegal businesses. The agencies said the alleged network involved officials from the Security Service of Ukraine, the National Police and the Prosecutor General’s Office, as well as members of criminal groups. SBU chief Oleksandr Poklad removed two senior officials implicated in the investigation, the service said. It did not identify them. The SBU also said it would cooperate with investigators and expected the inquiry to be transparent, objective and impartial. NABU said investigators searched premises used by SBU officials under a warrant issued by Ukraine’s High Anti-Corruption Court. The bureau said a senior SBU official obstructed the searches and threatened to use a firearm. It also said SBU special forces arrived at the scene. The SBU said the searches related to several criminal proceedings and that it was cooperating. A report identifying the official as Major General Serhii Duka and saying he had been detained cited unnamed sources. That...