• Wednesday, 03 July 2024

NSA head on 'Onyshchenko' case: Individual who signed approval has been identified 

NSA head on 'Onyshchenko' case: Individual who signed approval has been identified 
Skopje, 18 November 2022 (MIA) - An internal probe into a possible breach in the so called Onyshchenko case concluded that the final level of the security checkup wasn't respected and that NATO partners weren't consulted before a positive opinion was issued. The individual who signed an approval has been identified and somebody will be held accountable, National Security Agency head Viktor Dimovski stated Friday. A security checkup before positive opinion is issued approving Macedonian passport to be awarded to someone is done in several levels and also requires signatures from ten NSA members, he explained. "It was established that the final level, consultations with NATO partners, hadn't been completed. The individual who signed the approval has been found and they will be held accountable," Dimovski told reporters after a session of the parliamentary committee supervising the work of NSA and the Intelligence Agency. The investigation, he stated, resumes until it is established whether this was an isolated case. "We will continue investigating whether it was a blunder or an intentional or profitable interest. We don't want this case to ruin our hard work over the past period," Dimovski said adding it will be determined whether the individual would face a disciplinary procedure or criminal charges. Falling short of revealing the name, the NSA head said that staff members in all four sectors have security clearance. Ukrainian national Oleksandr Onyshchenko was awarded Macedonian citizenship as an equestrian athlete after his name was proposed by the Equestrian Federation. The government approved his Macedonian citizenship after all competent institutions has issued a positive opinion. Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski has said that he asked the institutions involved in the granting of the positive opinion for his citizenship the submit a report explaining the procedure. President Stevo Pendarovski says responsibility must be taken in the case calling it "a serious blow for the credibility of a NATO member in the eyes of other allies." The committee supervising the work of NSA and the Intelligence Agency was supposed to hold a closed session to review NSA's role in the process of issuing Macedonian citizenship to Onyshchenko, who had been charged with corruption in Ukraine and is blacklisted by the US. According to media reports, discussions at the closed session, attended by NSA head Viktor Dimovski, were streamed live on YouTube. Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi has asked the chairman of the committee to suspend its work "until it is investigated what happened at today's session." He pledged he would use his authorizations to fully investigate the matter.