Ukrainian anti-corruption court upholds detention of prosecutor's office official in "Carthage" case
Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court Appeals Chamber on September 16 upheld the detention of Serhiy Kropyva, a former deputy head of the Office of the Prosecutor General's Department of International Cooperation, with an alternative bail of 120 million hryvnia in the "Carthage" case. The court rejected the defense's request to reduce the bail to 2 million hryvnia or to impose house arrest with an electronic bracelet. Kropyva remains in custody as the bail has not been posted.
Key points
- The Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court upheld detention with an alternative bail of 120 million hryvnia for Serhiy Kropyva in the "Carthage" case.
- The defense asked the court to either cancel detention or impose house arrest with an electronic bracelet, and to reduce the bail from 120 million to 2 million hryvnia.
- The Appeals Chamber confirmed the first-instance ruling of September 6, which had set detention until November 2 with the same alternative bail.
- Kropyva is identified as the former deputy head of the Department of International Cooperation of the Office of the Prosecutor General and is described as the main suspect and organizer in the case.
- On September 4, NABU and SAPO announced "Operation Carthage," exposing an alleged criminal organization linked to bribes from fraudulent call centers and asset legalization.
- The prosecution alleged legalization of about 41.76 million hryvnia in an August 2025–2026 episode and referenced roughly 40 million hryvnia tied to 2023–2025; case materials cite 505 allegedly "sheltered" call centers.
- The Appeals Chamber's ruling took legal effect immediately and is not subject to cassation appeal.
Why it matters
The case involves a senior official from the Office of the Prosecutor General — the very body responsible for prosecuting corruption — and falls within the high-profile "Carthage" special operation by NABU and SAPO into an alleged criminal organization tied to fraudulent call centers. The unusually high 120-million-hryvnia alternative bail signals the gravity the prosecution attributes to the alleged conduct, and searches extended to premises used by Prosecutor General Kravchenko, directly implicating the leadership of the prosecution service itself.
What happened
On September 16, the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court (ВАКС) considered the appeal filed by the defense of Serhiy Kropyva against the preventive measure imposed on him. The court rejected the appeal and upheld the first-instance ruling of September 6, which had ordered Kropyva detained until November 2 with an alternative of 120 million hryvnia bail.
The defense had asked the court either to cancel detention or to impose a milder measure — house arrest with an electronic bracelet — and to reduce the bail from 120 million to 2 million hryvnia, arguing the set amount was excessive and that there was no flight risk. Kropyva himself said 2 million hryvnia was the maximum he could post and the amount he had declared.
The prosecution pushed back, citing alleged financial flows tied to 505 call centers and the persistence of risks of flight, evidence destruction and witness influence. A SAPO prosecutor referenced the laundering of about 41.76 million hryvnia in an August 2025–2026 episode and roughly 40 million hryvnia tied to 2023–2025, while noting the bail amount was not directly pegged to those figures. The prosecutor also disputed Kropyva's claim that he was on an official business trip when detained on September 4 in Lviv, saying no documents confirmed such a trip.
The Appeals Chamber's ruling took effect immediately and is not subject to cassation appeal. As of the ruling, the 120-million-hryvnia bail had not been posted, so Kropyva remains in custody.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian reporting frames the story as a domestic anti-corruption court ruling, focusing on the procedural details of the bail dispute and the prosecution's arguments about financial flows linked to fraudulent call centers. The coverage underscores the integrity of Ukraine's anti-corruption institutions — NABU, SAPO and ВАКС — and the significance of a case that reaches into the Office of the Prosecutor General itself, with searches extending to premises used by Prosecutor General Kravchenko.
Where reporting differs
The defense and prosecution disagree on the proportionality of the 120-million-hryvnia bail: the defense asked to reduce it to 2 million hryvnia, calling the set amount excessive and denying any flight risk, while the prosecution insisted the bail was justified by alleged financial-operation volumes and the persistence of risks of flight, evidence destruction and influence over other participants.
They also conflict over the circumstances of Kropyva's September 4 detention in Lviv: the defense claimed he was on an official business trip, whereas the prosecution said the investigation found no documents confirming such a trip.
Background
The initial preventive-measure ruling was issued by an investigating judge on September 6, 2026. Prosecutors alleged the legalization of about 41.76 million hryvnia in an August 2025–2026 episode and referenced roughly another 40 million hryvnia attributed to 2023–2025. The prosecution cited 505 allegedly "sheltered" call centers as part of the financial flows underlying the bail amount, and described suspected methods of legalization including cash conversion via individual entrepreneurs (FOPs), registration of assets in the names of relatives and connected persons, cryptocurrency, and a corporate investment fund. A representative of the Office of the Prosecutor General stated that 2 million hryvnia was the maximum amount Kropyva could post and that this was the amount he had declared. The prosecution argued that risks of flight, evidence destruction and influence over other participants persisted, including alleged recorded discussions of organizing border crossings and concealing assets.