Shabunin claims that law enforcement officers leaked his intimate photos. The prosecutor general's Office denies it, the DBR is checking

Head of the Board and co-founder of the NGO Anti-Corruption Action Center Vitaliy Shabunin states that the Office of the prosecutor general (OPG) and the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) had leaked his intimate photos to Telegram channels. The OPG said to LIGA.net that it "has nothing to do with" this situation, and DBR, which was investigating the activist, promised to conduct an audit.

On the evening of December 16, Shabunin said that the leaked photos were taken from a phone that was seized by law enforcement during a search.

The activist attributes the "leak" to the creation of a website by his organization with a list of people who, according to the AntAC, are involved in depriving the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized anti-corruption prosecutor's office of their independence.

Shabunin claims that the head of the DBR, Oleksiy Sukhachov, and the prosecutor general Ruslan Kravchenko are allegedly involved in the leak: "I must admit that the publication of intimate photos from a phone seized during a search is a new low that [president] Zelenskyy broke through with his security officers."

"The prosecutor's office has nothing to do with the dissemination of photographs of a public activist in the public space. Maintaining the secrecy of the pre-trial investigation is the responsibility of all participants in criminal proceedings. Any attempts to manipulate the investigation materials are unacceptable," said LIGA.net at the prosecutor general's Office.

They stated that if the facts of unlawful use of the investigation materials are established, such actions will be given a proper legal assessment.

Also, the OPG added, if the dissemination of these photos does not have a connection to the criminal case against the activist and is a consequence of a violation of privacy, then such facts can be investigated only on the basis of a statement from the victim. The Prosecutor General's Office emphasized that they have not yet received any appeals or statements in this regard.

"At the same time, public attempts to unreasonably link the prosecutor's office to the unauthorized dissemination of information from criminal proceedings are not based on facts and have signs of deliberate discrediting of the institution. The Prosecutor's Office does not participate in information campaigns and does not comment on assumptions," the agency summarized.

Meanwhile, the DBR said it would "thoroughly check" employees involved in "private information concerning one of the defendants in the criminal proceedings."

The agency stated that if the involvement of the Bureau's employees in this incident is established, "tough response measures will be taken and the perpetrators will be brought to justice in accordance with the law."

• DBR suspects Shabunin in service evasion and fraud. The Anti-Corruption Action Center claims that the case is related to pressure by the current government.