KYIV. April 1 (Interfax-Ukraine) - Former chairman of the Ukrainian Security Service Yevhen Marchuk authorized the installment of bugging equipment in Ukrainian ex-president Leonid Kuchma's office, former Russian Federal Security Service officer Alexander Litvinenko told Interfax by phone from London.
Litvinenko said that Kuchma's former bodyguard Mykola Melnychenko had told him that all conversations in the former president's office had been recorded by a group of security officers "with the help of special- purpose equipment" for two years.
"Melnychenko told me this whole thing was organized by Marchuk, former chairman of the Ukrainian Security Service," Litvinenko said. "Melnychenko wasn't the only one making the recordings, there were several of them working in a group. Melnychenko said that he still has problems - several people who made the recordings with him still remain in Ukraine, and, allegedly, one of them was found, and has been followed, so he escaped to Western Europe and hid there," Litvinenko said.
He also said Melnychenko said Marchuk promised that these recordings would be allowed to be used in court if they contain evidence of a crime. "But, after the recording was done, he did not give a court sanction. The way it turns out, he either lied to them or framed them," Litvinenko said.
Litvinenko claimed the recordings were published at Marchuk's initiative. "This question was raised by Marchuk, and only after that was Melnychenko introduced to Moroz (Socialist Party leader Oleksandr Moroz - Interfax)," Litvinenko said. Moroz published the fragments of the recordings containing data on the murder of journalist Georgy Gongadze.
Litvinenko said he met Melnychenko in London and that they had "good comradely relations."
Melnychenko also told Litvinenko about his meeting with the Ukrainian foreign minister. At the same time, Litvinenko said President Yushchenko could not give Melnychenko any safety guarantees or free him from criminal responsibility.
Litvinenko said he was prepared to testify in the case "in the Ukrainian Prosecutor's Office or in court." "The only thing I would like to be sure about is that the Ukrainian justice minister confirm that I will not be extradited to Russia," Litvinenko said.
Litvinenko, who is believed to be linked with controversial Russian businessman Boris Berezovsky, has been granted political asylum in Great Britain.
Marchuk served as a Ukrainian state minister on defense, state security and emergency situations in 1990-1991. He created the Ukrainian Security Service, which he became the first head of in 1991, in accordance with the parliament's decision.
From June 1995 to May 1996, Marchuk served as Ukrainian prime minister. He was elected to the parliament as a people's deputy in 1995 and 1998. There he served as head of the parliament's commission on social policy and labor. In November 1999, Marchuk was appointed secretary of the Ukrainian National Defense and Security Council.
Former Ukrainian State Security Major Mykola Melnychenko currently resides in the United States. He claims he has recordings of high-ranking Ukrainian authorities made during former president Leonid Kuchma's term in office, and that these recordings allegedly indicate that Ukrainian politicians were involved in high-profile crimes in Ukraine, including the murder of independent journalist Georgy Gongadze.