The head of the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAPC), Oleksandr Novikov, has drawn up a protocol against the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal.
According to the NAPC, Shmyhal illegally disclosed information about a whistleblower that he learned in the course of his official duties.
In particular, the Prime Minister, having previously reviewed a report of corruption from a whistleblower, namely an employee of the Commission for Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (CRGL), instructed the relevant officials to process the report and inform the applicant and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine (CMU).
However, among these officials was the head of CRGL, Ivan Rudyy, whose unlawful actions were reported.
Upon learning of this, the official decided to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the whistleblower. However, according to the law, a whistleblower cannot be disciplined or subjected to other negative measures of influence by his or her supervisor or employer. As a result, the NACP drew up a protocol against the Head of the CRGL on 5 January 2024.
According to the NAPC, the Prime Minister of Ukraine illegally disclosed information about a whistleblower that he had learned in the course of his official duties. This is an administrative offence.
The NAPC invited Shmyhal to read the protocol on 10 January 2024, but he did not appear on time and did not inform about the reasons for his absence.
Therefore, the NAPC sent the protocol for consideration to the court at the place of the offence.
If the court finds Denys Shmyhal guilty of an administrative offence, the official will be fined and deprived of the right to hold certain positions for one year. This will also be the basis for entering information about him in the Unified State Register of Persons Who Committed Corruption or Corruption-Related Offences.
In an exclusive comment to LB.ua, Shmyhal's spokeswoman Olha Kuryshko said that the Prime Minister of Ukraine did not disclose any information about the whistleblower.
"In September, the Government portal received an appeal from CRGL employees about their dissatisfaction with the work of the head of the commission, in accordance with the Law of Ukraine 'On Citizens' Appeals'. This appeal was not a report of corruption offences and did not contain any information about possible facts of corruption," she said.
In this regard, the appeal was considered and the resolution of the Prime Minister of Ukraine was prepared by the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers as if it were a citizen's appeal. The applicants were notified of this.
"We consider the statements of the head of the NAPC that the Prime Minister allegedly disclosed information about the whistleblower to be another manipulation on the eve of Mr Novikov's term of office," the Prime Minister's press service added.
Yesterday, on 10 January, the NAPC issued an order to Shmyhal for violating the requirements of the Law on Prevention of Corruption.