Late on September 6, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko responded to materials released in connection with an operation, denying allegations of involvement in receiving funds from illegal call centers.
In a Facebook post, he specifically addressed a photograph of a safe filled with cash that was disseminated by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU).
“The photo of the safe with money is merely a photo of a safe with money, which has no relation either to me or to the prosecutor’s office,” Kravchenko stated.
According to Kravchenko, the image is only, according to lawyers, a photograph from a separate criminal case.
Meanwhile, NABU’s press service indicated that all materials published by the bureau are only released after the agreement of detectives and prosecutors.
“If this material exists, then there was consent from the detectives and prosecutors,” NABU explained.
Context
- On September 4, NABU and SAP announced a special operation aimed at exposing a criminal organization suspected of being managed by an official from the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine. According to anti-corruption agencies, the organization may be involved in “protection” of fraudulent call center networks and laundering money. The operation was named “Carthage”.
- According to case materials, suspects were taking bribes for “protection” of call centers and were “washing” this money. The official was believed to act in conjunction with current members of the prosecutor’s office, according to NABU. The bureau released photos of cash and vehicles seized from the suspects, as well as recorded phone conversations allegedly featuring the voices of the suspects, including individuals referred to as Chancellor, Muse, Comrade, Flash, and Chief. They reportedly discussed how to leverage positions in the prosecutor’s office to appoint their own people and control illegal financial flows.
