The National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office are conducting a special operation “Carthage” against a criminal organization that, according to the investigation, was headed by an official of the Prosecutor General’s Office. It is linked to the “covering” of a network of fraudulent call centers and the legalization of property.
The NABU and SAPO operation, Mind writes, was reported on the evening of September 4. The PromPolitInform portal informs.
The anti-corruption authorities have not yet disclosed the details and promise to report them later.
NABU is conducting investigative actions directly in the premises of the Prosecutor General’s Office. Ukrainska Pravda published a video in which the bureau’s employees are trying to get into the territory of the UCP, in particular through a fence.
According to Ukrainska Pravda’s sources in business circles, the head of the UCP’s cyber department, Serhiy Kropyva, has already been detained as part of the operation.
At the same time, there is currently no official confirmation of the detention from NABU, SAPO, or the Prosecutor General’s Office.
According to open declarations, Serhiy Kropyva has extensive experience in combating cybercrime.
In particular, in 2021 he was the first deputy head of the Cyber Police Department of the National Police. Previously, Kropyva headed the Kyiv Cyber Police Department.
In 2022, his declaration already mentioned the leadership of the department of the Prosecutor General’s Office, which was responsible for organizing and procedurally managing investigations of crimes that encroach on the functioning of the economy and cybersecurity of the state.
Therefore, the official’s possible connections with the network of fraudulent call centers, which are reported by the NABU and the SAPO, may be of a particularly sensitive nature – however, the investigation should give a legal assessment of these circumstances.
The Prosecutor General’s Office confirmed that it is a matter of checking the involvement of one of the employees in illegal activities related to the work of fraudulent call centers.
“All circumstances must be established by the investigation,” the Prosecutor General’s Office said and promised to provide the anti-corruption authorities with the necessary information.
The employee, whose possible involvement in illegal activities is being checked, will be suspended from performing his official duties for the duration of the pre-trial investigation.
So far, NABU and SAPO have named two key areas of investigation: a network of fraudulent call centers and legalization of property.
How many call centers were part of the network, how much money it could have received, and what role in the scheme, according to the investigation, the UCP official played, the anti-corruption authorities are not reporting at this time.
There is also no information yet on the number of other possible suspects.
APD: According to UP sources, NABU and SAPO have already detained the head of the cyber department of the Prosecutor General’s Office, Serhiy Kropyva.
