Serhiy Duka, a general of the Security Service of Ukraine, smashed two mobile phones with a hammer and destroyed a hard disk when NABU detectives attempted to search his house. At the same time, armed employees of the SBU "Alpha" special unit hindered investigative actions, according to a representative of the anti-corruption bureau. The situation could have escalated into an armed clash between law enforcement officers.
New details of the November 4 search were revealed by Oleksandr Abakumov, head of the NABU detectives' unit, in the "UP Chat" program on the "Ukrainska Pravda" YouTube channel.
According to the detective, NABU employees arrived at the house of Serhiy Duka, first deputy head of the SBU's Department for the Protection of National Statehood, based on a ruling of the investigating judge. To ensure safety, they involved four or five employees of their own Special Operations Directorate.
When one of the NABU special forces tried to climb over the fence to open the gate, a weapon with a laser pointer was pointed at him and he was threatened with opening fire if he entered the territory.
Abakumov said that at least two armed people with assault rifles were in the windows of the house, and the general himself was on the second floor with a pistol.
The detectives identified themselves, showed their service ID and the court ruling. Abakumov also addressed the people in the house via a loudspeaker demanding not to create a dangerous situation and to allow investigative actions to proceed.
However, according to him, instead of complying, the general went out onto the balcony and began destroying equipment.
"People did not make contact. Instead, the general ran out onto the balcony and began smashing the phones with a hammer. He completely smashed two phones, plus destroyed one hard drive", - Abakumov said.
After that, Duka returned to the house. According to the detective, the official could have continued to destroy or hide other items of interest to the investigation.
During the confrontation, additional armed SBU employees began arriving at the search site, whom Abakumov identified as fighters of the "Alpha" special unit. According to him, they arrived in several cars, and some of them behaved aggressively.
The detective claims that the law enforcers were studying the positions and forces of the NABU employees. In his opinion, the initial plan could have involved forcefully removing the general from the house to prevent the search.
At the same time, Abakumov emphasized that this is an assessment of the SBU employees' actions. He did not provide verified information about an order to evacuate Duka.
The NABU representative noted that at some point the risk of the use of weapons was very high. He warned SBU employees about liability for a possible attack on detectives carrying out a lawful court ruling.
The situation was resolved after lengthy negotiations, which involved representatives of the SBU's internal security and the general's lawyers. According to Abakumov, it was the negotiations with the lawyers that helped to agree on the procedure for investigative actions.
Subsequently, the detectives were able to conduct the search, and Serhiy Duka was detained.
Recall that on November 4, NABU already reported obstruction of the search by a high-ranking SBU official and threats of using firearms. However, at that time the bureau did not disclose details of the destruction of equipment, the number of armed people at the house, and the circumstances of the confrontation.
The search was conducted within the large-scale anti-corruption operation "Carthage". According to the investigation, members of the criminal organization provided cover for fraudulent call centers, drug trafficking, and other illegal schemes involving high-ranking law enforcement officials.
Serhiy Duka was notified of suspicion of participation in a criminal organization. His guilt must be established by a court.
The Security Service of Ukraine has previously stated that it stands for an objective and impartial investigation and facilitates the procedural actions of NABU and SAPO. At the same time, the agency's statement did not include a separate explanation of the circumstances of the confrontation during the search.
Based on materials: "UP Chat" with Oleksandr Abakumov, Ukrainska Pravda, Security Service of Ukraine
