The head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), Ivan Bakanov, and the Prosecutor General, Iryna Venediktova, have not yet been released. They were eliminated in order to prevent their influence on the investigation and detection of traitors in the SSU and the prosecutorʼs office. In addition, official investigations will be conducted in these bodies, and based on their results, the president will decide whether to appeal to the parliament to fire both officials.
Andriy Smirnov, the deputy head of the Presidentʼs Office, told about this on the air of a nationwide telethon.
According to him, the difference between suspension and removal is defined in the law. The Law of Ukraine "On the Legal Regime of Martial Law" provides the right of the president to remove from his position an official who is appointed and dismissed by the head of state — in this case, it is the prosecutor general.
The head of the SSU is a military man. Therefore, the presidential decree on Ivan Bakanov contains a reference to the law of Ukraine "About the Disciplinary Statute of the Armed Forces of Ukraine."
"Currently, there is no talk of the dismissal of these two officials. It is about the fact that the Prosecutor General has been removed from office. And the head of the Security Service has been temporarily suspended from performing his duties," Smirnov emphasized.
According to him, the president took appropriate decisions to make it impossible for them to influence the investigation and detection of traitors in the SSU and the prosecutorʼs office. Official investigations will be conducted in both departments.
"Based on the results of these specific checks and investigations, the president will decide whether to submit a document to the parliament on granting consent to the dismissal of the prosecutor general. The same applies to the head of the SSU," said the deputy head of the Office of the President.
- On July 17, decrees No. 499 and No. 500 were published on the presidentʼs website, according to which Volodymyr Zelensky suspended the Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova and removed the head of the Security Service of Ukraine Ivan Bakanov from his post.