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Ukraine Denies Illegal Arms Deals with Taleban VOA News 13 Feb 2002 16:47 UTC 
Ukraine's Defense Ministry is denying illegal arms deals with Afghanistan's defunct Taleban regime
A ministry statement said news reports about sales of tanks, automatic rifles, mines and artillery ammunition to the Taleban when they ruled Afghanistan were groundless and based on unchecked information received from dubious sources.
In January, Ukrainian lawmakers urged prosecutors to begin an inquiry into media allegations that several top officials were involved in illegal sales of tanks and other military equipment to the Taleban.
Under Ukrainian law, a media report may serve as a reason for opening a criminal investigation.
The report in the German magazine Der Spiegel quoted Russian experts as saying that former Ukrainian Security Service chief Leonid Derkach and his son Andriy, a Ukrainian lawmaker, were involved in the arms sale to the former rulers of Afghanistan.
The report also said Ukrainian-Israeli media tycoon Vadym Rabinovich and Pakistan's ISI Secret Service took part in supplying as many as 200 T-55 and T-62 tanks to the Taleban.
Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.
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