Carthage suspect General Duka released from pre-trial detention

Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) Major General Serhii Duka, a suspect in the Carthage case, has been released from pre-trial detention. He has claimed that he is innocent.

Source: live broadcast by Ukrainian news outlet TSN

Details: Duka thanked the SSU personnel who had raised UAH 65 million (US$1.4 million) for his bail. The general stressed that he had not committed the crimes he was charged with. He once again described the case against him as "revenge by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU)".

Duka claimed that the Security Service of Ukraine had exposed representatives of anti-corruption agencies for corruption offences. According to the general, however, these cases were not pursued because "there was an order from senior officials in the state".

He said that anti-corruption agencies are preparing "new episodes of the Carthage series". The suspect claimed he has arguments to counter them. Duka asked for some time to "rest" and fulfil the obligations imposed on him by the court, such as surrendering his international passport. He said he would have more to add to what he had already said at a later date.

An unprecedented number of people wearing military fatigues had gathered outside the detention centre, including members of the Alpha special unit. As Duka left the facility, security personnel who had come to meet him handed him a firearm.

Duka's lawyer, Yurii Sukhov, told journalists that, despite being dismissed from his post, the major general was and remains an SSU employee and "had taken part in certain special operations", so he will supposedly continue to receive protection.

Sukhov reiterated his claim that no one had forced SSU personnel to contribute to Duka's bail.

When asked by journalists why Duka had chopped up his phones with an axe when he was detained, the lawyer said that the investigating judge had rejected the prosecutor's position that the general had destroyed evidence and resisted arrest.

The lawyer also said that an appeal against the preventive measure imposed on Duka will be heard on 26 November.

Previously:

• On 7 November, Ukrainska Pravda reported that a message was being circulated among SSU staff urging them to contribute to a collection for Duka's bail.
• Later, UP sources said that regional officers of the SSU were being asked to transfer money to go towards bail for Duka, who is suspected of involvement in a criminal organisation in the Carthage case.
• Duka wrote an open letter from the pre-trial detention centre where he was being held, demanding that his actions be judged by the evidence rather than "sensationalist headlines". He also accused the anti-corruption bodies of taking "revenge".
• On 12 November, it became known that the court-ordered bail had been posted for Duka. Ukrainska Pravda sources said that a total of 1,612 payments were received and the amount raised was even higher than that set by the court.

Background:

• On 4 November, NABU and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) served notices of suspicion on five members of a criminal organisation in the Carthage case, including Duka. Investigators believe the five regularly bribed senior law enforcement officials to turn a blind eye to scam call centres and other illegal businesses.
• Oleksandr Abakumov, head of the NABU detective unit, said Duka had threatened NABU detectives with a gun and smashed equipment with a hammer during a search of his property. Officers from the SSU's Special Group Alpha attempted to get him out.
• On 6 November, journalists were barred from the courtroom as the HACC considered a pre-trial restriction for Duka. Later that day, the court ordered Duka to be held in custody and set bail at UAH 65 million (US$1.4 million).

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