NABU conducts searches at Prosecutor General Kravchenko’s and his deputy’s offices; Prosecutor General’s Office says investigators relied on "assumptions" and will review detectives’ actions
NABU detectives conducted investigative actions in office premises used by the Prosecutor General, the First Deputy Prosecutor General, as well as other employees and structural units of the Prosecutor General’s Office.
This was reported by Censor.NET, citing a statement by the Prosecutor General’s Office.
Searches at Kravchenko’s and his deputy’s offices
According to the statement, at around midnight, NABU detectives did conduct investigative actions in office premises used by the Prosecutor General, the First Deputy Prosecutor General, as well as other employees and structural units of the Prosecutor General’s Office.
The statement also emphasizes that the scale of these investigative actions, their factual grounds, and the list of materials accessed require a separate legal assessment.
"Among the documents accessed during the searches were materials from criminal proceedings concerning possible unlawful actions by close associates linked to the SAPO leadership. These proceedings were investigated under the procedural supervision of the Prosecutor General’s Office. The SAPO leadership was aware of their existence and the progress of the investigation.
In addition, the detectives gained access to materials from another set of criminal proceedings, including information obtained through covert investigative measures concerning possible unlawful activities by NABU and SAPO employees," the statement reads.
Under these circumstances, the Prosecutor General’s Office considers it necessary to establish whether the actual scope of the detectives’ access corresponded to the subject matter of the criminal proceedings under which the searches were conducted.
This concerns solely a legal assessment of specific procedural actions: which materials were accessed, whether they were examined, copied or seized, and whether they were covered by the relevant court authorizations.
The statement also notes that certain questions arise following an analysis of the court orders used to justify the investigative actions concerning the PGO leadership.
Regarding the Prosecutor General
The Prosecutor General’s Office emphasizes that the court order cites individual conversations by a PGO employee concerning everyday matters.
These include a reference to "dark tiles" in one of the premises used by the Prosecutor General, as well as a discussion about installing an alarm system and internal sensors.
Based on these conversations, the materials then advance a theory about a possible connection to funds that investigators assume may have been of unlawful origin.
"At the same time, the materials cited in the court order contain no direct evidence that the Prosecutor General gave any instructions to facilitate the activities of call centers, obstructed their exposure or investigation, warned anyone about planned investigative actions, received funds from such activities or an undue advantage, or used proceeds of crime to pay for renovation work, the installation of an alarm system or any other services.
The connection between the cited everyday conversations and possible criminal activity is substantiated in the materials primarily by assumptions," the statement says.
This is also evidenced by the wording used in the court order: "presumably," "possible awareness," "does not rule out," and "may be."
This is precisely why, in our opinion, the sufficiency of such information as grounds for conducting investigative actions in the Prosecutor General’s office premises requires a separate assessment.
Another example is Order No. 309, "On the Organization of Prosecutors’ Work in Criminal Proceedings."
"Paragraph 169 of the court order cites a conversation in which a PGO employee recounts an alleged agreement with the ‘boss,’ whom investigators understand to mean the Prosecutor General, to amend this order. This conversation was also used as one of the arguments justifying the investigative actions. At the same time, the Prosecutor General did not sign any such amendments. They were not adopted and did not enter into force. Thus, this was a discussion of a possible management decision that was never actually implemented," the statement reads.
"In our opinion, this circumstance should also have been considered when assessing whether there were sufficient grounds to conduct the search," the Prosecutor General’s Office added.
Regarding First Deputy Prosecutor General Mariia Vdovychenko
According to the statement, the conversations cited in the court order concern the coordination and conduct of investigative actions in criminal proceedings related to the activities of call centers.
In particular, the term "implementation" appears in the materials, which the court itself links to possible searches at call centers. In other words, this was a discussion of a law enforcement operation concerning individuals whose activities were being examined in criminal proceedings.
"At the same time, this discussion is subsequently used as one element of a theory alleging possible assistance to these same individuals. Thus, preparations for investigative actions against call centers, which are lawful by their legal nature, were effectively given the opposite criminal-law interpretation: they were used as an argument supporting possible assistance to the activities of the targets against whom those very investigative actions were being prepared.
Other conversations cited in the court order concern the need to systematize efforts to counter call centers, consolidate the relevant criminal proceedings within a specialized area of work and ensure unified coordination of these efforts across the regions," the statement reads.
It is also emphasized that, in substance, these matters concern the organization of prosecutorial and law enforcement work. Therefore, these circumstances must be assessed in their full context and with due regard for the actual management and procedural decisions.
Regarding the PGO employee whose possible involvement is being examined
The Prosecutor General’s Office does not question NABU’s right to examine a PGO employee’s assets, contacts, possible connections or other circumstances relevant to criminal proceedings.
All such circumstances must be thoroughly examined in accordance with the procedure established by law. An internal investigation has been launched.
The Prosecutor General’s position is unequivocal: the status of a prosecutor’s office employee cannot be used to avoid accountability or as a shield for possible criminal activity.
At the same time, an investigation concerning a specific official must be conducted within the relevant criminal proceedings and in compliance with the procedural safeguards established by law.
The Prosecutor General’s Office respects the institutional independence of NABU and SAPO and is interested in professional cooperation among all law enforcement agencies.
"Any possible overstepping of the limits of lawful access to materials from criminal proceedings unrelated to the subject matter of the search will be thoroughly examined as part of criminal proceedings.
Every established circumstance will receive a proper legal assessment.
The position of the Prosecutor General’s Office is consistent: any facts indicating possible unlawful activities by prosecutors must be investigated without exception. At the same time, all investigative actions, regardless of the agency conducting them, must be carried out exclusively within the law and the powers granted by the court," the Prosecutor General’s Office concluded.
Background
- Earlier, Ukrainska Pravda, citing its own sources, reported that NABU and SAPO were allegedly conducting searches targeting Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, his deputy Mariia Vdovychenko and Head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration (RMA) Oleh Kiper.
- On 4 September, NABU and SAPO reported the alleged "protection" by the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) of a network of so-called call centers that defraud people.
- According to media reports, NABU and SAPO detained Serhii Kropyva, deputy head of the PGO’s Department of International Legal Cooperation.
- Before taking up his current position at the PGO, Kropyva served as deputy head of the Odesa Regional State Administration on Oleh Kiper’s team.
- Against this backdrop, NABU announced a new operation called "Carthage."
- The Prosecutor General’s Office stated that it would suspend the employee whose possible involvement in "protecting a network" of fraudulent call centers and laundering assets is being investigated.
