The SBU prevented contract killing of its officer and detained one of the organizers, a current Service’s employee.

Head of the Investigative Department of the SBU Main Investigative Directorate Anatolii Bulich and Acting Department Head of the Prosecutor General's Office Andrii Lysokobylka informed that during a briefing.

A special operation on detention took place on January 22, 2021.

According to Anatolii Bulich, yesterday, the SBU detained one of the organizers while transferring money. It was a payment for crime preparation services. An officer of the SBU Anti-Terrorist Center was detained for preparing to kill another SBU officer.  

He informed that intelligence was collected for a long time during the pre-trial investigation. Allegedly, several individuals conspired and developed a plan to commit the crime. The organizer found the executor and offered USD 50,000 for murder.

The detention was carried out when there was sufficient evidence of crime planning.

“If there is a crime, we have to respond to it. And in that case, the SBU took pro-active steps. So there is a result,” Anatolii Bulich emphasized.

He stressed that the criminal proceeding, despite different media interpretations, is not a “showdown” between SBU officers, as some stakeholders are trying to present, but is a prevented serious crime.

Moreover, mentioning the President of Ukraine in the context of the detention is only efforts to draw additional attention and distort information.

In addition to that, Anatolii Bulich said that any rumors that someone handcuffed had allegedly escaped from the scene were also untrue.

The representative of the Prosecutor General's Office told that the detainee received a suspicion notice of preparation for the crime and attempted murder upon prior conspiracy.  

According to him, the offender faces from 9 to 15 years in prison or life imprisonment.

Also that day, the Kyiv Shevchenkivskyi District Court imposed detention without bail against the suspect. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.

In response to possible involvement of former SBU First Deputy Head Dmytro Neskoromnyi in the high-profile case, Anatolii Bulich said that at the moment disclosure of the information was prohibited under legislation. However, in the near future the SBU will hold a briefing, providing update on the investigation, in particular on this issue.