The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) have exposed a criminal organization whose members systematically provided illicit benefits to high-ranking officials in law enforcement agencies in exchange for allowing fraudulent call centers and other illegal businesses to operate unhindered.
According to a Wednesday post on NABU’s Telegram channel, the investigation revealed that current high-ranking officials from the Security Service of Ukraine, the National Police, the Office of the Prosecutor General, and representatives of the criminal underworld were involved in the criminal activities.
As previously reported, NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) exposed five members of a criminal organization led by an official from the Office of the Prosecutor General (Operation “Carthage”), who systematically received illicit benefits for covering up a network of fraudulent call centers and laundered over 42 million hryvnias by purchasing real estate, including apartments in the Carpathians, jewelry, and by depositing funds into relatives’ accounts.
Amid the scandal over his possible involvement in the “Carthage” case, Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko submitted his resignation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suspended him from office, and on September 15, the Verkhovna Rada approved Kravchenko’s dismissal. In the materials from the National Security and Defense Council, the key suspect in the case—Serhiy Kropiva, deputy head of the Department of International Cooperation at the Office of the Prosecutor General—is identified as Kravchenko’s trusted associate. In particular, according to the investigation, he coordinated household matters and repairs at Kravchenko’s home.
At the same time, on September 14—after he had already submitted his resignation letter—Kravchenko signed a notice of suspicion against Semen Kryvonos, director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). In response, the NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) stated that they view such actions as a continuation of a systematic attack on independent anti-corruption bodies. On the evening of September 14, the Office of the Prosecutor General reported that no such suspicion existed.
Kravchenko, in turn, stated that he had left Ukraine, citing a business trip as the reason. According to unconfirmed reports, Kravchenko and his wife may be in Vienna (Austria) and are in talks with local law firms regarding asylum.
Kravchenko has not yet been formally notified of any charges, but an internal investigation has determined that, while serving as Prosecutor General, he committed a disciplinary offense by arranging an unjustified trip abroad; the decision on whether to bring criminal charges against him will be made by Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities
Acting Prosecutor General Anton Kovalsky announced in October that the internal investigation into the former prosecutor general’s trip is ongoing, with the circumstances surrounding the organization of his trip being examined; in total, eight individuals mentioned in connection with the
“Carthage.” On November 2, he opened another criminal case against Kropiva—a key figure in the “Carthage” case—for using an official vehicle for non-work-related trips to Bukovel.
call center, CORRUPTION, NABU, PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE, SAPO
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