Rada Committee to hear from SSU leadership regarding new NABU "Carthage" recordings — Friz
The Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence is to hold a meeting to hear from the leadership of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) regarding the new NABU recordings titled "Carthage."
Iryna Friz, a member of parliament from the "European Solidarity" faction and a member of the committee, said this in a comment to Censor.NET.
She considers it unacceptable to sweep "this shameful story" under the rug or let it fizzle out.
"I am not calling for token dismissals, but rather for the establishment of personal accountability—from those directly involved to the leaders who were supposed to prevent such threats. If the leadership knew and failed to act, that raises the question of their responsibility for inaction. If they did not know, that raises the question of a failure in internal security and their responsibility," the MP noted.
According to Friz, during wartime, such failures can be extremely costly for the state.
"First and foremost, this concerns the already shaky trust that our partners have in the government. Therefore, there must be no cover-ups, no mutual protection, and no immunity for public officials. Answers must be provided, and those responsible must be held accountable in accordance with the law. Moreover, we are once again returning to the unfulfilled—though repeatedly promised—reform of the SSU and the removal of its non-core functions," the politician emphasized.
What led up to this?
- Earlier, the NABU reported that a high-ranking SSU official was threatening to use a weapon and was obstructing a search.
- Subsequently, the Bureau stated that NABU and the SAPO had exposed a criminal organization that systematically bribed high-ranking officials of the SBU, the National Police, and the Prosecutor General's Office in exchange for "protection" of fraudulent call centers and other illegal businesses.
- The NABU stated that, as part of the investigation into the "Carthage" case, acriminal organization was uncovered whose members had established a systematic practice of bribing high-ranking law enforcement officials in exchange for allowing fraudulent call centers and other illegal businesses to operate unimpeded.
- It was later reported that anti-corruption authorities detained General Serhiy Duka, first deputy head of the Security Service of Ukraine’s Department for the Protection of National Statehood.
- SSU Director Oleksandr Poklad dismissed two high-ranking officials of the Service who are implicated in the NABU investigation as part of Operation "Carthage." He also urged a suspect in the case, known by the alias "The Mexican," to return to Ukraine and turn himself in to law enforcement authorities.
- NABU and the SAPO announced five charges related to the cover-up of illegal business activities; among those implicated are high-ranking officials from the SSU and the National Police.
