Pavlo Barbul, ex-head of "Spetstechnoexport", has been found trying to pressure 12 Ukrainian online media businesses because of their publications on the accusations which have been posed against him. These publications discussed the alleged abuse of power committed by Mr. Barbul during his tenure at "Spetstechnoexport", between 2014 and 2018. Feeling that his right to privacy was grossly damaged by these publications, Mr. Barbul decided to enact his revenge upon the Ukrainian press, forgetting, in the meantime, the rules of proper engagement.
The 12 targeted media companies include "Glavkom", "Golos" and yours truly – "Apostrophe.ua". The so-called slanderous publications focused on Mr. Barbul"s time at "Spetstechnoexport", a company that exports and imports military and dual-use goods and services. The published articles were based on information that was open to the public and was lawfully obtained by the journalists involved. The facts were, as per deontological responsibility, reviewed, checked, and confirmed eventually by an official from the NABU office. According to information provided by the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor"s Office, Mr. Barbul involved a non-resident intermediary to join in on one of the contracts with regard to the supply of military products. In 2015, over 2.2 million dollars were transferred from the subsidiary company "Zavod 410 GA" to the account of this foreign agent under the guise of "payment for acts of service". However, the gathered evidence shows that this intermediary didn"t provide any services which led to the further execution of the abovementioned foreign trade contract. Furthermore, the office concludes that the subsidiary company suffered material damage, amounting to the equivalent of 55.5 million UAH, because of unjustified transfer of funds to a foreign agent for services that weren"t provided.
