Obscure cases with masked people and capturing buildings in Kiev continue to occur. Some tensity was felt this Tuesday evening in the building of the State Architectural and Constructional Committee (SACC). Representatives of the Anti-corruption bureau and 30 masked armed people came there. They demanded to search the building and conducted a search of ladies’ handbags. The interim president Oleksandr Turchinov has already ordered to set up an anti-raiding commission, Vesti.UA reports.
On Tuesday, at the end of the working day, masked people came to the SACC. ‘It was the end of the day. There came masked men and activists Andrey Dzindzya and Yaroslav Gonchar, who called themselves representatives of Tatyana Chernovol’s Anti-corruption bureau. ‘They demanded documents to be shown but did not explain actually why. They checked women’s bags. And forced a door open. However, they did not produced their own papers,’ said Irina Yarmoluk, the spokeswoman of the SACC. Andrey Dzindzya told Vesty.UA that they came alone with Yaroslav Gonchar. ‘I have no idea who those people in masks were. Probably, they were from the Self-defence, they came indeed. We are investigating a case. It regards to fake SACC seals found in a private company related to a regional deputy Anton Yatsenko. We came to have a talk about it with the management. We definitely broke no doors open,’ says Dzindzya.
However, Anatoly Medved, the leader of self-defence squads of the UDAR political party, states that he was called on and came alone. ‘The masked men came with the Anti-corruption bureau. When I arrived, I confirmed to the police that I knew Dzindzya and that he worked with Chernovol. I asked them why they had come, but no one actually explained anything. Then I left,’ says Medved.
The police also confirm that the people in masks were armed and arrived with the bureau representatives. ‘The armed men in camouflage were on three floors. The representatives of the Anti-corruption bureau claimed that according to their information some people wanted to destroy evidence in one of the locked offices. The armed men burst into the room and found two IT specialists who were laying the wire. The feared men rushed down and jumped out of the first floor window. Negotiations lasted for two hours and finally the armed men agreed to lay down the weapon and take off the masks. We’ve already initiated legal proceedings under the Criminal Rules Hooliganism and Firearms Violation,’ the Kiev police press-service reports.
Shortly before that representatives of the Anti-corruption bureau had visited an office in Bolshaya Zhitomirskaya Street. They thought that titushky (armed supporters of the Ukrainian police) of Ivnushchenko, the former President’s friend, hid there. The local residents even heard gun shots. ‘When I arrived, besides Chernovol and Dzindzya I saw only the police,’ says Medved.
According to Chernovol, the bureau was not established officially, so she has no legal authority. Nevertheless, she was told to struggle and so she does. She says that the SACC has established several intermediator companies relying on which some managers had stolen 1.5m hryvnas (more than $130 000). ‘Personally I had headed the Anti-corruption committee till 2012. And I know that they cannot enter an office and demand or seize documents without a legal resolution. It’s a serious and routine work. I understand these guys’ desire to put everything in order as soon as possible and not allow anyone to get away. But the bureau must be at least registered and the principles of their work must be specified,’ says Medved.
Unfortunately, it is neither the first nor the last incident, when a case is settled by the Maidan activists. Some of them demand documents and want to deprive of business. The new authorities are already worried gravely about the uncontrollable people in camouflage. The interim President Oleksandr Turchinov has already ordered Sergey Pashinsky, the acting head of the Presidential Administration, to initiate a commission collecting facts of illegal take-overs. However, a post-revolutionary chaos apparently will not end without police interference and punishment of those who are guilty.
