SBU chef to report on Bihus.Info surveillance case in Parliament in two weeks at the earliest

The Ukrainian Security Service’s (SBU) head, Vasyl Malyuk, will give an explanation to the Verkhovna Rada about the illegal surveillance and wiretapping of the Bihus.Info investigative team not earlier than in two weeks, opposition Holos (Voice) party MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak reported on Telegram on Feb. 7.

Malyuk has received the invitation, but the Parliament's Conciliation Committee has yet to decide when the report can be presented. According to the Parliament’s schedule, the next meeting of the Committee will be held in two weeks at the earliest.

"This is how it is, a modern parliamentary-presidential republic in all its glory," Zheleznyak wrote.

On Feb. 6, 159 MPs voted to invite Malyuk to report to the parliament on the illegal surveillance and wiretapping of the Bihus.Info employees by the SBU.

Read also: SBU’s Semenchenko was fired for surveilling journalists – NV sources

Earlier, the President said that any form of pressure on journalists is unacceptable, reacting to news of the surveillance of journalists.

Bihus.Info journalists are known for their important investigations into the Ukrainian government and politicians.

A video surfaced online on Jan. 16 allegedly showing Bihus.Info staff using drugs. Bihus claimed that there had been illegal surveillance lasting about a year, with edited fragments from different times.

Project manager Denys Bihus stated that the surveillance and wiretapping were illegal. Deputy editor-in-chief Maksym Opanasenko claimed that the team had been bugged for several months.

Read also: SBU in hot water after cameras installed ahead of holiday event to spy on Bihus.Info journalists

The SBU initiated a criminal case on Jan. 17 for illegal eavesdropping and video recording by the outlet’s employees. Law enforcement does not rule out violations of drug-related laws in the published materials.

Hidden cameras installed in hotel rooms during a New Year's corporate event were likely planted by the SBU to spy on Bihus.Info journalists, Bihus.Info reported on Feb. 5.

Roman Semenchenko, former head of the National Security Department at Ukraine’s SBU security service, has been dismissed over his involvement in surveillance of the editorial team of investigative journalism outlet Bihus.Info, NV’s sources in the SBU said on Feb. 5.

Semenchenko did not deny SBU’s involvement in the surveillance in a conversation with Bihus.Info.

Read also: Bihus.Info journalists uncover espionage during SBU investigation

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine