Former First Deputy Head of the Department for Protection of National Statehood of the SBU Sergey Duka, arrested in the “Carthage” case, published an open letter from the detention center. The general rejected accusations of involvement in a criminal organization, again claimed alleged revenge on the part of NABU, and proposed a public discussion with the heads of anti-corruption bodies.
The appeal was published on November 10 by Duka’s lawyer Yuri Sukhov. The defender said that he publishes the text at the client’s request without cuts, and declined further comments.
In the letter, Duka recalled that he devoted 26 years to serving Ukraine, of which the last five were engaged in countering Russian aggression. According to him, shortly before his detention he was leading secret operations, and now he is in a detention center.
“I demand that my actions be judged by evidence, not by spectacular videos and loud headlines,” — the general said.
Duka claims that his contacts with representatives of the criminal environment could have been part of the operational work of the special service. He emphasized that intelligence and law enforcement agencies use informants from various circles, and communication with such persons alone does not prove participation in a criminal organization.
The general also explained that he cannot publicly disclose information about agents, methods of work, and classified operations. In his opinion, the inability to present such information in open access should not be considered as evidence of guilt.
A separate part of the appeal Duka devoted to the alleged conflict of interest in the NABU investigation. He stated that the motion to select a measure of restraint for him was prepared by detective Roman Nedov, whose premises the general, according to his own words, searched in 2025.
Duka considers this circumstance as grounds to doubt the impartiality of the investigation. In addition, he claims that he was threatened with prolonged detention, comparing his situation to the arrest of NABU detective Ruslan Magamedrasulov last year.
On this basis, the general again accused representatives of anti-corruption bodies of seeking revenge against SBU officers for previous investigations. There is no independent confirmation of these claims yet.
In the letter, Duka also questioned the completeness of audio and video materials presented by the investigation. He called for verifying the origin of the recordings, their authenticity, the context of conversations, and the possible use of artificial intelligence technologies. At the same time, no evidence of falsification of the recordings is provided in the appeal.
The general proposed to NABU director Semen Kryvonos and SAP head Oleksandr Klymenko to hold an open public discussion. He also called on the Verkhovna Rada to look into conflicts between law enforcement agencies and to check the circumstances of opening and closing of individual criminal proceedings.
Duka declared readiness to testify to people’s deputies in accordance with the procedure established by law. At the end of the appeal, he thanked colleagues for support and fundraising for bail, emphasizing that he does not intend to admit guilt or disclose state secrets for his own defense.
As of the time of publication of the appeal, NABU and SAP have not publicly commented on the new accusations from the general.
Recall that on November 6, the High Anti-Corruption Court chose a measure of restraint for Sergey Duka in the form of detention for 60 days with an alternative of posting bail in the amount of UAH 65 million. The prosecution insisted on a bail of UAH 100 million.
On the morning of November 10, HACC reported that the bail for the general was only partially paid. The court did not name the exact amount of received funds.
Duka is a suspect in the “Carthage” case. According to NABU and SAP, members of the criminal organization systematically bribed high-ranking law enforcement officers to cover fraudulent call centers, drug trafficking, and other illegal schemes.
The investigation believes that the general, appearing in the case materials under the pseudonym “Akim,” assisted the organization’s members in resolving issues in the SBU and other state bodies. Duka himself denies involvement in the crimes. His guilt has not been established by a court.
Based on materials from: Yuri Sukhov (Facebook), “HACC Decided”, Babel.
