Eight prosecutors dismissed in wake of 'Carthage' call-centre corruption case
Acting Prosecutor General Anton Kovalsky reported that eight prosecutors linked to the 'Carthage' case have been dismissed, seven of them from the Office of the Prosecutor General. Service investigations and a broader personnel audit remain ongoing, including probes into former Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko and into figures at the centre of the NABU and SAP exposé.
Key points
- Eight prosecutors mentioned in the context of the 'Carthage' case have been dismissed; seven of them worked in the Office of the Prosecutor General.
- Acting Prosecutor General Anton Kovalsky reported the dismissals and said a service investigation is ongoing into Serhiy Kropyva, deputy head of the OPG's International Cooperation Department.
- A service investigation into former deputy department head Aidyn Khudiyev, at whose workplace $50,000 was found, has been completed and his position has been liquidated.
- Twenty-four prosecutors underwent polygraph examinations; the results were handed to the commission conducting the service investigation.
- Sixteen prosecutors have been dismissed from administrative positions in the OPG and regional prosecutor's offices as part of a personnel audit that is still under way.
- On 4 September, NABU and SAP announced Operation 'Carthage,' targeting a scheme to cover fraudulent call centres; Kropyva, identified on recordings as 'Chancellor,' was remanded in custody on 6 September with bail set at 120 million hryvnia.
- Former Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko left Ukraine on a business trip shortly after the operation became public and was dismissed by President Volodymyr Zelensky; the OPG is still verifying the circumstances of his departure.
Why it matters
The dismissals are the most concrete personnel fallout inside the Office of the Prosecutor General since NABU and SAP exposed the 'Carthage' scheme in early September. Several of those removed headed units that have since been liquidated or reorganized, signalling a structural overhaul alongside individual sanctions. The case has already cost former Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko his post and has drawn in other senior officials, indicating that the corruption allegations reach the top of the prosecution service.
What happened
Acting Prosecutor General Anton Kovalsky reported that eight prosecutors connected to the 'Carthage' case have been dismissed, seven of them from the Office of the Prosecutor General. Among those removed from administrative positions were the head of the Department of Information Technologies and the head of the Department for Countering Criminal Offenses in the Sphere of Cybersecurity; the deputy head of the Cherkasy Regional Prosecutor's Office was also dismissed and that post was liquidated. The cybersecurity department has been wound up and the Department of Supervision over Law Compliance by Bodies Combating Organized Crime and Investment Protection has been reorganized, with the investment protection direction split off. New heads have been appointed to the Department of International Cooperation and the Department of Organizational-Control Activity, Legal and Analytical Support. A personnel audit has led to 16 prosecutors being dismissed from administrative positions in the OPG and regional offices, and the OPG has decided not to use transitional provisions allowing appointments without competition. A service investigation into former deputy department head Aidyn Khudiyev, at whose workplace $50,000 was found, has been completed and his post abolished, while a separate service investigation into Serhiy Kropyva continues. Twenty-four prosecutors have taken polygraph tests, and the results have been passed to the investigating commission. The OPG is also still examining whether former Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko followed the rules for his foreign business trip.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian outlets centre Kovalsky's own account of the steps taken inside the prosecution service: completed and ongoing service checks, polygraph examinations, a return to competitive appointments, and the liquidation or reorganization of implicated departments. Coverage frames the dismissals as an institutional accountability response rather than a political dispute.
Where reporting differs
NABU and SAP recordings refer to a 'Shef' tied to the scheme, whose identity has not been officially disclosed. Reporting and an SAP prosecutor's statements in court link that figure to former Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, who has rejected all accusations. The recordings show 'Chancellor' calling 'Shef' 'Andriyovych,' which matches Kravchenko's patronymic, though NABU and SAP have not publicly confirmed the identification.
Background
Operation 'Carthage' was announced on 4 September by NABU, Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau, and SAP, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, targeting an alleged scheme to 'cover' fraudulent call centres in exchange for bribes. Investigators identified Serhiy Kropyva, nicknamed 'Chancellor,' as the organizer; he and an associate, Yelyzaveta Ivakhnenko ('Muza'), were remanded in custody, with bail set at 120 million hryvnia. NABU recordings reference a 'Shef' whose identity has not been publicly confirmed by investigators. President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Ruslan Kravchenko as Prosecutor General shortly after the operation's details emerged. The investigation also covered searches at the office of the prosecutor general and at the offices of senior officials including Deputy Prosecutor General Maria Vdovychenko and Odesa OVA head Oleh Kiper.