Poroshenko announces reform of the Security Service of Ukraine
In the near future, the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) will review the concept of reforming the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), President Petro Poroshenko said.
"In the near future, the NSDC will consider reforming the Security Service using the best practices of NATO member countries. It is assumed that certain functions of the Security Service that are not inherent in the classical security services will be gradually given over to other law enforcement agencies," he said at an event marking the 25th anniversary of the creation of the SBU.
"The NABU, the State Bureau of Investigations, and the National Police will gradually take over the investigation of some official crimes and crimes committed by organized criminal groups. The SBU is and will remain the main counterintelligence agency of the state, and this component of the Service must be given a much higher level, as required by the real external threats to Ukraine," stressed Poroshenko.
During his speech, the president said it will be a matter of honor for all law enforcement bodies of Ukraine to uncover those responsible for the murder of former State Duma Deputy, Denis Voronenkov and journalist Pavel Sheremet, and the act of sabotage at the Balakliia munitions depot.
"No one is insured against mistakes, even the Special Services whose history runs back not 25, but a hundred years," the President of Ukraine noted.
In the fall of 2015, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a law that narrowed the list of criminal offenses that fall under the jurisdiction of the SBU.
The document limited SBU powers to conducting of the pre-trial investigation of crimes in the sphere of national security and defense and those related to terrorism. At the same time, Verkhovna Rada decided to leave to the SBU a number of criminal offenses which it had previously rejected. These are Articles no. 334, 436, 437, 438, 439, 440, 441, 442, 443, 444, 445, 446, and 447 (mostly related to war crimes). At the same time, the SSU will no longer participate in the investigation of cases of abuses of power, abuses of authority, and forgery.