Former Prosecutor General department head charged in “Carthage” operation
Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities have notified a former department head at the Office of the Prosecutor General of suspicion as another participant in the criminal organization uncovered in the “Carthage” operation. Investigators allege the suspect communicated with illegal call centers, received money, helped conceal the network and recruited participants. The court imposed 60-day detention with an alternative bail option of 8 million hryvnias.
Key points
- NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office announced the suspicion on October 22.
- The suspect is a former head of a department at the Office of the Prosecutor General.
- Investigators allege the suspect communicated with illegal call centers and systematically received money from them.
- The alleged duties included ensuring members’ security and secrecy and recruiting others into criminal activity.
- The case concerns a network accused of protecting fraudulent call centers in exchange for payments.
- Documented illegal benefit in the case exceeds 1 billion hryvnias.
- The suspect was not named in the authorities’ announcement; media and anti-corruption sources identified him as Ivan Tymoshenko.
Why it matters
The investigation concerns an alleged criminal network inside the Office of the Prosecutor General that allegedly protected fraudulent call centers for payment. Its documented illegal benefit exceeds 1 billion hryvnias, while the suspect is accused of handling payments, helping conceal the network and recruiting participants.
What happened
NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office notified a former head of a department at the Office of the Prosecutor General of suspicion as another participant in the organization investigated under “Carthage.” According to investigators, the suspect played a key role, communicated with representatives of illegal call centers, systematically received money, ensured the group’s security and secrecy, and recruited other participants. The allegations were qualified under Part 3 of Article 255, Part 5 of Article 27 and Part 4 of Article 368 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code. The court imposed 60-day detention with an alternative bail option of 8 million hryvnias.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian reporting has emphasized the suspect’s former senior position, alleged links to fraudulent call centers, the detention decision and the continuing investigation. The anti-corruption authorities did not publicly name the suspect in their announcement; media and anti-corruption sources identified him as Ivan Tymoshenko, formerly head of the Office of the Prosecutor General’s Department of Information Technologies.
How international sources describe it
English-language reporting has focused on the official’s former position, alleged role in the criminal scheme, the scale of the documented illegal benefit and the ongoing investigation. International-language reports generally note that the authorities did not identify the suspect by name in their announcement.
Where reporting differs
The accounts differ on the Criminal Code article used to qualify the conduct: one identifies Article 368, while another identifies Article 288. The authorities’ announcement did not name the suspect, while media and anti-corruption sources identified him as Ivan Tymoshenko.
Background
The “Carthage” operation targets an organization that allegedly received payments for not obstructing fraudulent call-center networks in Ukraine. Investigators say the organization included prosecutors and close unofficial persons. They allege that participants laundered more than 20 million hryvnias through real estate, jewelry and other valuable property, and placed more than 10 million hryvnias in relatives’ accounts as apparent business income. Serhiy Kropyva was identified as the alleged organizer.