Entrepreneurs and former officials commented on the exposure of a corruption scheme in the Prosecutor General's Office
Materials published by anti-corruption agencies exposing a scheme to cover up fraudulent call centres by Prosecutor General's Office officials have drawn strong reactions from entrepreneurs and former state executives. Business leaders voiced their assessments of the causes and implications of the Carthage corruption case. This was reported by Delo.ua citing Dilo, according to the portal PromPolitInform.
Co-founder of NOVA Volodymyr Popereshnyuk considers the materials released by investigators to be evidence of a system geared towards enrichment through force. In his view, punishments will not resolve the issue, and the only solution is eliminating positions, total privatisation, deregulation, and reducing the number of ministries.
Co-founder of Milk Alliance Oleksandr Derkach disagrees that the problem can be solved purely through economic measures. He emphasizes that this is straight crime supported by a corrupt law enforcement system acting alongside top officials.
State capture and systemic selection flaws
Analyst at EAC Medical Constructor Vladyslav Smirnov stated that the case demonstrates state capture, where public functions become part of commercial services used to pressure competitors. He noted that identical tools were observed across several anti-corruption investigations.
Former head of Naftogaz of Ukraine Andriy Kobolyev identified impunity and the lack of real political will as primary motives for official bribery. He stressed that contest-based hiring processes have lost effectiveness, while qualified personnel refuse to join such a system.
Societal impact and public administration breakdown
Former Deputy Minister of Economic Development Svitlana Panaiotidi highlighted a deep societal loss of respect for honest labor. She noted that hundreds of thousands of young people working in scam call centres are the result of a long-term decline in education and culture.
Former head of Ukrenergo Volodymyr Kudrytskyi pointed out the paradox between public government campaigns against illegal call centres and the involvement of senior prosecutors in protecting them. He described such schemes as a direct result of negative selection in public office.
Background of the anti-corruption operation
NABU and SAP conducted the special operation to uncover the criminal organization in early September. According to investigators, the group was formed in mid-2025 by Serhiy Kropyva, deputy head of an international legal department at the Prosecutor General’s Office.
As part of the investigation, searches were conducted at the residences of Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, his deputy Mariya Vdovychenko, and Odesa Regional State Administration head Oleh Kiper. Suspicions have been served to five individuals.
Photo: Delo.ua
Read also: Olena Dehryk Shevtsova mentioned in NABU tapes during investigation into fraudulent call centers
