President backs SBU's actions against Naftogaz of Ukraine officials - press secretary

President Viktor Yushchenko fully supports the actions of the SBU personnel to have instituted and have been investigating into a criminal case upon suspicion of the malfeasant by officials of NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine and the customs, President's press secretary Iryna Vannykova announced, UKRINFORM learned from the presidential press-service.

"The security service is acting legally and within the powers envisaged by the law solely," she stressed.

At the same time, Vannykova noted that the Head of State warns the SBU against any illegal actions, first and foremost, violation of legal rights and freedoms of citizens. The legality will be strongly observed. "Actions of the SBU personnel are quite strict as the states of the case require. The President is confident that when investigating into the abuses revealed, it is just necessary to show adequate decisiveness and persistence. A period of slackness and professional apathy in the law enforcement system must be put to an end," Vannykova underlined.

The President's press secretary also said that V. Yushchenko counts on professionalism and lawful perfection in the whole complex of operative and investigative actions.

"The President strongly rejects all this political noise around this case and actions of the SBU. All loud statements are signaling society about whose mercenary interests have been hit by the actions of the Security Service personnel," she underscored.

Iryna Vannykova also added that the Head of State is personally controlling the progress in the investigation.

On January 29, 2009, the SBU sent an official warning to the Energy Regional Customs of Ukraine and the Cabinet of Ministers demanding to prevent illegal actions regarding the volumes of gas being under customs control and declared in the customs regime as "transit".

On March 2, the SBU opened a criminal case upon the fact of acquisition of 6.3 billion cu m of transit natural gas to the tune of more than UAH 7.4 billion (USD 1 - UAH 7.7) by officials of NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine by previous concert of a group of persons.

On March 3, in frames of investigation of the criminal case, the Security Service detained a partner in a crime, Deputy Head of the Energy Regional Customs of Ukraine unit Taras Shepitko. It was just him to have cleared 11 billion cu m of gas from the Ukrainian GTS through the customs.

The Verkhovna Rada has today passed a resolution to listen to the report of SBU acting Chief Valentyn Nalyvaichenko on the detention of T. Shepitko.

At the same time, Valeriy Khoroshkovsky, SBU Deputy Chief has said that the Security Service was surprised at the position of the parliament regarding the fact of the detention of the customs official, he said this in the parliament. Khoroshkovsky noted that the SBU established a fact that on January 21 and February 5 the sum of USD 1,700 billion "was walking" in everyday regime between the territory of Ukraine and Russia.

According to him, some MPs and political forces are today putting pressure on the state of the investigation.

The Verkhovna Rada has also addressed to the Prosecutor General's Office asking to check legality of the detention of the Energy Customs official.

UKRINFORM