Post held by Operation "Carthage" suspect Kropyva abolished – Prosecutor General’s Office
The Prosecutor General’s Office has abolished the position of deputy head of its International Cooperation Department, which was held by Serhii Kropyva, a suspect in the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine’s (NABU) Operation "Carthage".
The office’s spokesperson Mariana Haiovska told Ukrainska Pravda, Censor.NET reports.
Department reorganisation
"The International Cooperation Department of the Prosecutor General’s Office has been reorganised by order of the acting Prosecutor General. As part of the reorganisation, the position of deputy head of the department held by S. V. Kropyva was among those abolished," the spokesperson said.
Haiovska also noted that a disciplinary complaint against Kropyva was already under consideration by the Qualification and Disciplinary Commission of Prosecutors. The commission is to consider imposing a disciplinary sanction, which could include Kropyva’s dismissal from the prosecution service.
Earlier, the Anti-Corruption Action Center, citing a response to an information request, reported that Serhii Kropyva remained in his post at the Prosecutor General’s Office and had not even been suspended amid Operation "Carthage".
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.
