Operation Carthage: Former Prosecutor General’s Office official Tymoshenko remanded in custody with bail set at UAH 8 million
As part of Operation Carthage, an investigating judge of the High Anti-Corruption Court ordered a pretrial measure for a former head of a department at the Prosecutor General’s Office, another member of the criminal organisation within the office.
Censor.NET reports this, citing the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).
What is known
According to the Anti-Corruption Action Center, the person in question is Ivan Tymoshenko, former head of the Prosecutor General’s Office’s Information Technology Department.
The court ordered pretrial detention, with the option of posting bail of UAH 8 million.
If bail is posted, Tymoshenko will be subject to the relevant procedural obligations.
Background
The day before, Ivan Tymoshenko, former head of the Prosecutor General’s Office’s Information Technology Department, was notified of suspicion as part of 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.
