National Bar Association considers article about "hacker lawyers" in Dzerkalo Tyzhnia to be commissioned campaign by NABU and SAPO

The publications of Dzerkalo Tyzhnia [Mirror of the Week] about "hacker lawyers" contain false information, distortions and manipulations that undermine the authority of the institution of advocacy. The National Bar Association of Ukraine announced pressure on it and a commissioned campaign in the media by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).

"These publications contain false and distorted (and therefore manipulative) information about the role of the National Bar Association of Ukraine in the issue of protecting lawyers. The distribution of such materials harms the reputation and undermines the credibility of the advocacy in the eyes of society. In addition, the very fact of posting the article and its systematic promotion by separate news items contains signs of unlawful pressure on the constitutional institution," the National Bar Association’s of Ukraine Committee for the Protection of Lawyers' Rights and Guarantees of Advocacy's Activities says in a statement.

The National Bar Association of Ukraine emphasized that this is a commissioned media attack by the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine.

"The National Bar Association’s of Ukraine Committee condemns such methods of pressure, therefore it appeals to the media and other resources with a demand to immediately stop the dissemination of false information. It appeals to the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, and the Dzerkalo Tyzhnia publication with a request to provide public information about the existence of contractual relations of a commercial nature and the availability of documents on relevant financial settlements," the lawyers reported.

The National Bar Association’s of Ukraine Committee also did not rule out filing a statement with law enforcement agencies about the commission of a crime by a group of persons involved in discrediting the institution of advocacy.

The Chairman of the Association’s Committee for the Protection of Lawyers' Rights, Yevhen Solodko, wrote on his Facebook page that the media hate towards the advocacy is designed to distract attention from the illegal actions of the NABU.

"The NABU deliberately poked its nose into the attorney-client privilege, clearly knowing that they were wiretapping lawyers, violating the guarantees of implementation of our professional activities. Did the undeclared crypto money in the accounts of some detectives give them such courage or detective’s Arshavin fleeing abroad? It is unacceptable to undermine the independence of the legal profession through media manipulation and the spread of false information," he stressed.

As reported, the Prosecutor General's Office opened criminal proceedings due to illegal entry into the lawyers' premises, wiretapping and abuse of authority by the NABU and SAPO employees.

Earlier, the media reported on the detention at a checkpoint by the NABU detectives with armed special forces of two young children of lawyer Borzykh - 8-year-old and 5-year-old daughters, who were on their way to school and kindergarten with their father. The detectives forbade calling the lawyer, referring to the "order" by the leadership. For almost two hours, the children remained blocked in the car, without contact with their mother. Everything happened in the presence of the police, who confirmed the fact of the children's detention.

Well-known lawyer Oleh Shram commented on the lawyers' case, noting that the NABU's actions go beyond the competence of the Bureau, since they are not corrupt and are not subject to investigation by them, and that the NABU representatives face criminal liability.

Recently, law enforcement officers detained a NABU representative for the manufacture and sale of drugs. The criminal group he led cooked and sold amphetamine, and also engaged in smuggling the drug precursor phenylnitropropene. The group's monthly income is estimated at over UAH 50 million.

In addition, a journalistic investigation by the Ukrainian News Agency found out that almost two dozen NABU employees were involved in a high-profile corruption scandal - their declarations with cryptocurrency contain unreliable or fake data. Journalists suggested that the NABU employees were engaging in fraud, hiding millions of corrupt funds in crypto wallets.