Suspect in NABU "Carthage" case still employed at Prosecutor General's office

Suspect in NABU "Carthage" case still employed at Prosecutor General's office despite ex-chief's suspension claim

Serhiy Kropyva, a suspect in the NABU/SAP "Carthage" operation targeting a criminal group linked to fraudulent call centers, remained formally employed at the Office of the Prosecutor General as of mid-September, despite then-Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko's public statement on 6 September that he had been suspended. The OGP's official response to the Center for Anti-Corruption confirmed that no suspension or dismissal order had been registered by 17 September.

Key points

Serhiy Kropyva is a suspect in the NABU/SAP "Carthage" operation announced 4 September, alleging a criminal group that facilitated fraudulent call centers in exchange for monthly payments of $20,000–$24,000.
Kropyva holds the post of deputy head of the Department of International Cooperation at the Office of the Prosecutor General.
On 6 September, the High Anti-Corruption Court (VAKS) ordered Kropyva held in custody until 2 November, with an alternative bail of 120 million hryvnias; prosecutors had requested 200 million.
On the same day, then-Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko publicly said the OGP employee implicated in the case had been suspended and that he had ordered a dismissal to be prepared.
According to the OGP's official response to the Center for Anti-Corruption, no suspension or dismissal order for Kropyva had been registered as of 17 September.
A disciplinary complaint was filed with the Qualification and Disciplinary Commission of Prosecutors on 8 September, and the KDCP opened proceedings on 10 September; the agenda of the KDCP's next session on 23 September did not include Kropyva's case.
Kropyva's driver, Serhiy Kutsy, also a suspect, was dismissed by the acting Prosecutor General on 18 September.

Why it matters

A suspect in a major anti-corruption case remained formally in post at the Prosecutor General's office weeks after being taken into custody, and the then-Prosecutor General's public assurance that he had been suspended is contradicted by the office's own later response. The episode highlights a credibility and governance gap at the top of the OGP, and because Kropyva sits in the Department of International Cooperation, it carries reputational consequences for Ukraine's foreign partners.

What happened

Serhiy Kropyva, deputy head of the Office of the Prosecutor General's Department of International Cooperation, is a suspect in the "Carthage" operation announced by NABU and SAP on 4 September. The investigation alleges that a criminal group coordinated searches at "non-affiliated" fraudulent call centers while collecting monthly payments from "affiliated" ones, and that Kropyva headed the organization. On 6 September, the High Anti-Corruption Court placed Kropyva in custody until 2 November, with an alternative bail of 120 million hryvnias; prosecutors had asked for 200 million. That same day, then-Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko said publicly that the implicated OGP employee had been suspended and that he had instructed the preparation of a dismissal. According to the OGP's official response to an information request from the Center for Anti-Corruption, no suspension or dismissal order for Kropyva had been registered as of 17 September. A disciplinary complaint was filed with the KDCP on 8 September, the KDCP opened disciplinary proceedings on 10 September, and acting Prosecutor General Anton Kovalsky wrote to the KDCP asking it to expedite consideration; the agenda of the KDCP's 23 September session did not include Kropyva's case. Kropyva's driver, Serhiy Kutsy, also a suspect in the case, was dismissed by the acting Prosecutor General on 18 September, having remained employed in the OGP's transport department as of 17 September.

How Ukrainian sources describe it

All four sources covering the story are Ukrainian media outlets, and the reporting is framed around accountability inside the Office of the Prosecutor General itself. Coverage focuses on the contradiction between Kravchenko's 6 September statement and the OGP's later response to the Center for Anti-Corruption, presenting it as a governance and credibility problem within the institution. Ukrainian sources also foreground procedural detail — the role of the KDCP, acting Prosecutor General Anton Kovalsky's letter asking the KDCP to expedite, and the eventual dismissal of suspect-driver Serhiy Kutsy — to illustrate the gap between announced and actual personnel action.

Where reporting differs

Then-Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko publicly stated on 6 September that the OGP employee implicated in the investigation had been suspended and that dismissal was being prepared. The Office of the Prosecutor General's official response to an information request from the Center for Anti-Corruption, however, stated that as of 17 September no suspension or dismissal order for Kropyva had been registered, contradicting Kravchenko's announcement.

Background

On 4 September, NABU and SAP announced the "Carthage" operation, alleging that a criminal group coordinated enforcement actions against "non-affiliated" fraudulent call centers while collecting monthly payments from "affiliated" ones; the investigation names Kropyva as the organizer of the scheme. Under Ukrainian law, suspending a prosecutor during disciplinary proceedings requires a ruling by the Qualification and Disciplinary Commission of Prosecutors following a member's motion; the head of the OGP cannot impose suspension unilaterally. Kropyva's driver Serhiy Kutsy, also a suspect, was dismissed by the acting Prosecutor General on 18 September after initially remaining employed.