The SBI is investigating a traffic accident in Kamianske involving the vehicle of an officer of the Dnipro Internal Security Department

In April of last year, the Information Agency of the NGO Anti-Corruption Human Rights Council published information about a traffic accident that occurred at the entrance to the city of Kamianske. The article discussed the possible involvement in the accident of Senior Police Lieutenant Kristian Laiosha, an operative officer of the Dnipro Internal Security Department of the National Police of Ukraine. We also received information that the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) was investigating the traffic accident. It should be noted that this officer had been recruited by the former head of the Dnipro Internal Security Department, Volodymyr Zhelizniak. We have previously reported on Mr. Zhelizniak’s record in that position.

Six months after the publication of the article, Mr. Laiosha himself contacted us. In his letter, he demanded that we retract the allegation regarding his possible involvement in the accident. He also complained about the publication of false and negative information. However, Mr. Laiosha did not specify which particular information on the website was allegedly false. What exactly were we supposed to retract—the fact that the accident occurred? How, then, should we explain the photographs of the wrecked Škoda? Or were the journalists of our news agency supposed to retract the possible involvement of Mr. Laiosha himself?

We decided to determine how the traffic accident in the city of Kamianske, involving the vehicle of an operative officer of the Dnipro Internal Security Department, was being investigated.

We submitted an inquiry to the National Police of Ukraine, requesting information on the progress of the investigation into the traffic accident in which Kristian Laiosha was allegedly involved. Among other things, we requested information on the following:

* Whether the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Dnipropetrovsk Region knew which vehicle Kristian Laiosha used during working hours.

* Whether an internal investigation had been conducted regarding the accident involving the Škoda vehicle.

* Whether the victims of the accident and the driver responsible had been identified.

* Who removed the vehicle’s license plates, for what purpose, and why the driver transporting Kristian Laiosha allegedly fled the scene.

* If Kristian Laiosha had caused the accident, what measures had been taken to hold him legally accountable.

* Whether the damage had been compensated.

The response to our inquiry, which had been addressed to the National Police, was provided by the State Bureau of Investigation.

The SBI is investigating the traffic accident that occurred in Kamianske under pre-trial investigation No. 62021170030000107. The incident was classified under Part 1 of Article 286 of the Criminal Code. The investigation was assigned to investigators from the Third Investigation Department (located in Dnipro) of the SBI Territorial Directorate based in Poltava. Procedural supervision was to be carried out by the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office.

Not every traffic safety violation is investigated by the State Bureau of Investigation or supervised by a regional prosecutor’s office. Under its statutory jurisdiction, the SBI investigates criminal offenses committed, among others, by law enforcement officers and other public officials. For example, the traffic accident allegedly involving Servant of the People Member of Parliament Oleksandr Trukhin is also being investigated by the SBI.

In this case, the SBI is investigating the traffic accident because of the possible involvement of police officer Kristian Laiosha.

Incidentally, Oleksandr Trukhin has publicly stated that he was not driving the Audi at the time of his accident.

Returning to the traffic accident in Kamianske, the SBI confirmed that the Škoda Octavia was associated with Kristian Laiosha. Information regarding the vehicle appears in Laiosha’s asset declaration, which indicates that the vehicle belongs to his mother and that he merely uses it.

However, according to the SBI, at the time of the accident Laiosha was seated in the passenger seat, while a civilian was driving the vehicle. Perhaps it was the police officer’s mother, who is the registered owner of the car.

The SBI also states that after the accident Kristian Laiosha proceeded to his place of duty.

If the SBI’s account is accurate, we have a wrecked vehicle and Mr. Laiosha, merely a passenger, climbing out of the vehicle and hurrying to work. It should be recalled that his destination was the city of Dnipro, where the Internal Security Department for the Dnipropetrovsk Region is located at 19 Sicheslavska Naberezhna Street.

The SBI further states that, following the accident, the vehicle used by Kristian Laiosha was transported to an impound lot for temporarily seized vehicles.

Inside the vehicle, investigators discovered the license plates had been removed and rolled up, which could indicate an attempt to conceal the identity of the vehicle’s owner.

During the inspection of the vehicle, biological samples were collected from the contact surfaces inside the car. This procedure allows investigators to determine who was actually driving the vehicle. In other words, whoever’s fingerprints are found on the steering wheel could potentially have been operating the car.

The SBI further stated that the alleged involvement of operative officer K.V. Laiosha in causing the traffic accident was not confirmed.

If the SBI is to be believed, Kristian Laiosha, despite being the regular user of the Škoda Octavia, never touched the steering wheel. Instead, he always had a civilian driving him wherever he needed to go.

Nevertheless, on April 16, 2021, because of the accident, Laiosha never reached his destination—but he did become the subject of an article published by the Information Agency of the NGO Anti-Corruption Human Rights Council.

The SBI also reported that criminal proceeding No. 62021170030000107 was closed because the conduct did not constitute a criminal offense.

According to the SBI, this decision was based on the fact that no individuals sustained bodily injuries as a result of the traffic accident that occurred on April 16, 2021.

Leave the scene of an accident in time, reach an agreement with the injured party—and face no criminal liability. That is the lesson one might draw from the situation involving the vehicle used by Kristian Laiosha.

What do we actually see?

An officer of the Dnipro Internal Security Department, on the morning following the celebration of Criminal Investigation Day, is allegedly riding in the passenger seat of his own vehicle. The vehicle is involved in a traffic accident; for unknown reasons, the license plates are removed; and Laiosha allegedly proceeds to work.

In our opinion, this is a highly questionable investigation and its conclusions are illogical.

One crow does not peck out another crow’s eye—or did an honest police officer truly become involved in an unfortunate accident by mere chance?