Operation Carthage: HACC Appeals Chamber considers changing Kropyva’s preventive measure
The Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court is considering an appeal against the preventive measure imposed on Serhii Kropyva, a former deputy head of a department at the Office of the Prosecutor General and a suspect in Operation Carthage.
Censor.NET reports.
What is known?
At the previous hearing on September 15, Kropyva’s defence asked the court to reduce his bail from UAH 120 million to UAH 2 million.
Kropyva said he did not have such funds.
"There is no such money in my declaration. I cannot pay such bail. I ask for it to be reduced to an amount I can pay — UAH 2 million," he said.
The suspect denied attempting to abscond, saying that he was on an approved business trip to Lviv.
He also said that he "did not receive proceeds from call centres" and "did not receive an unlawful benefit from the Prosecutor General either."
In one of the conversations dated February 18, 2026, Kropyva asked how many call centres were being "protected," and another suspect replied: 469.
By March 2026, their number had risen to 505.
"This is the number of call centres whose protection was effectively ensured," the prosecutor added, noting that the estimated sum from one call centre amounted to $7,000 per month.
"The accumulation of cash and funds in general from protecting call centres could have amounted to $3.5 million a month. So how can we speak of an excessive amount of bail?" he said.
What does SAPO say?
According to the prosecution, Kropyva instructed members of the criminal organisation on how to act if the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine asked questions and how to protect themselves from exposure by anti-corruption agencies.
SAPO also says that, in addition to the Prosecutor General, Kropyva communicated with other individuals.
"In particular, (people - ed.note) from the Office of the President, including the head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration. This indicates that not only the Prosecutor General was involved or could have taken measures that might have obstructed the criminal proceedings," the prosecutor said.
Kropyva’s statement
Kropyva said he was on a business trip to Lviv on September 3-4. However, when asked by the judge about the purpose of the trip, he said he could not remember.
Kropyva also said that during the trip he spoke with a number of employees of the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, as well as its head, Meret.
When asked by the judge for Meret’s first name and patronymic, Kropyva said he could not remember.
What did the court decide?
The panel of judges dismissed the defence lawyers’ appeals.
The preventive measure remains unchanged: detention in custody with the possibility of release on UAH 120 million bail.
Operation "Carthage"
- 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.
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According to updated information, NABU and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) uncovered a criminal organisation whose members systematically received bribes from fraudulent call centres and laundered millions. The organiser of the scheme was identified as the head of one of the Prosecutor General’s Office divisions.
- Recordings of the criminal group of Prosecutor General’s Office employees were also released.
- The Prosecutor General’s Office later confirmed searches at the premises of Prosecutor General Kravchenko and his deputy.
- The High Anti-Corruption Court imposed a pretrial restraint measure on Prosecutor General’s Office official Kropyva.
- On September 7, Ivakhnenko was remanded in custody with bail set at UAH 20 million.
- On the evening of 7 September, Kravchenko resigned from his post as Prosecutor General.
- Following him, Deputy Prosecutor General Mariia Vdovychenko, who is implicated in the anti-corruption bodies’ investigation, also resigned from the Prosecutor General’s Office.
