Funcionários do SBU pressured to contribute for bail of general Serhii Duka
Ukrainian reports say SBU employees are being pressured to pay between 50,000 and 150,000 hryvnias towards the 65 million hryvnia bail set for General Serhii Duka. Duka is in custody in the Karfagen case, in which anti-corruption investigators allege a criminal organisation paid bribes to senior law-enforcement officials.
Pontos principais
- The Higher Anti-Corruption Court set Duka's bail at 65 million hryvnias and ordered him held in custody.
- SBU officials detained Duka on 4 November.
- Operational officers are reportedly required to contribute 50,000 hryvnias each.
- Heads of sectors and departments, and their deputies, are reportedly required to contribute 150,000 hryvnias each.
- Employees were instructed to send payment screenshots to their managers, while department heads compiled contributor lists for reporting to Kyiv.
- Staff were reportedly promised repayment in cash, but no timetable or mechanism was disclosed.
- Duka is suspected of involvement in the criminal organisation identified in the Karfagen case.
Porque é importante
The reported collection raises questions about coercion within the SBU and the possible use of agency resources to secure bail for a senior official. It also deepens scrutiny of alleged links between senior SBU figures and illegal business activity exposed in the Karfagen case, with potential consequences for cooperation, morale and institutional trust inside the agency.
O que aconteceu
Ukrainian media reported that SBU staff were being pressed to contribute to the 65 million hryvnia bail ordered for General Serhii Duka, who has been in custody since his detention on 4 November. Operational officers were reportedly asked to transfer 50,000 hryvnias, while heads of sectors and departments and their deputies were required to pay 150,000 hryvnias. Payments were to go directly to the Higher Anti-Corruption Court, with screenshots of documents sent to managers and lists of contributors compiled for reporting to Kyiv. Employees were reportedly promised repayment in cash, although no timetable or mechanism was given.
Duka is suspected of involvement in a criminal organisation exposed by NABU detectives and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutors in the Karfagen case. According to investigators, participants systematically paid bribes to senior law-enforcement officials in exchange for enabling fraudulent call centres, euro counterfeiting, drug sales and other illegal businesses. During searches at Duka's home, Alpha fighters were seized; Duka smashed phones and a hard disk with a hammer and threatened detectives with a weapon.
Como o descrevem as fontes ucranianas
Ukrainian reporting focuses on the alleged internal SBU collection mechanisms: differentiated contribution amounts, documentary confirmation, lists of contributors and reporting to Kyiv. It places the fundraising alongside other conduct attributed to Duka, including his detention, resistance during the search and alleged efforts to obstruct anti-corruption investigators and Bihus.info journalists. Reports also question whether the early salary advance paid to SBU employees on 6 November was connected to the collection.
Contexto
On 4 November, NABU detectives and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutors announced suspicions against five participants in the Karfagen case, including Duka. Other people involved include Volodymyr Tsenov, who was granted the option of posting 15 million hryvnias in bail, and Vitalii Rybalko, also known as “The Boxer,” who was detained without the option of bail. The investigation alleges that the organisation paid senior SBU and National Police officials to facilitate fraudulent call centres, euro counterfeiting and drug sales.