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Investigative Journalist Wins Court Case Against Regional Security Chief over Income Declarations

May 18 – The Lviv District Administrative Court ruled in favor of a journalist who filed a complaint against the head of Ivano Frankivsk’s State Security Services (SBU) and his deputies for failing to provide 2015 income declarations last year. The court ruled SBU management – as opposed to investigative and intelligence officers – in the oblast must reveal its income.

Yuliya Kostyuk of Nashi Hroshi in Lviv filed the protest against the SBU’s Petro Didukh and his staff. Didukh and his deputies countered Kostyuk’s accusation with the explanation that the SBU’s investigative work deals with intelligence and counterintelligence activities were classified as state secrets.

In supporting Kostyuk, the court explained that, according to Part 7, Article 6 of Ukraine’s public information law, information requested by the journalist was not classified as a state secret, because Kostuyk requested income declarations of the regional SBU administration’s management, not actual investigative or intelligence officers.

More on Nashi Hroshi in Lviv in Ukrainian.