Anti-Corruption Bureau searches former deputy head of President's Office

The employees of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) are seen during work in an undated photograph. The protective vests they wear display the Ukrainian acronym

Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the former deputy head of the President's Office, was searched on 27 June in connection with the National Anti-Corruption Bureau's leak.

In late May, a high-profile corruption investigation revealed that top employees of the agency were leaking information to suspects and warning them about upcoming searches.

The alleged leaks were uncovered when investigators seized a phone belonging to businessman Yury Holyk, who was under investigation at the time. The phone contained copies of messages Holyk had obtained from an intermediary who purportedly communicated with NABU employees from 2021 through 2023.

The leaked correspondence, published by high-profile investigative journalists, involves several individuals connected to the President’s Office. Gizo Uglava, NABU's first deputy head, is at the heart of the high-profile accusations is Gizo Uglava. He has served as the agency’s second-in-command for over nine years.

Uglava is currently under investigation in the leak case and has been suspended at his own request. The investigation of the leak is ongoing, and the bureau hasn’t given any public explanation, or fired anyone.

Tymoshenko later said via his Telegram channel that he had been searched and noted that law enforcement authorities had no complaints against him. "I confirm that I was searched in connection with a matter in which I had no involvement. I have fulfilled all the requirements of law enforcement, and there are no claims against me personally."

President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Kyrylo Tymoshenko in early 2023. Tymoshenko was among the most influential officials in the country and the unofficial head of regional policy in Zelensky's office.