Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko on Monday amid a probe into alleged protection of fraudulent call centers, according to a decree published on his website. Zelenskyy had earlier urged parliament to approve Kravchenko's dismissal 'without delay,' emphasizing the urgency and necessity of this move.
According to Anadolu Agency, Kravchenko submitted his resignation on September 7 following searches conducted by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO). These searches were part of 'Operation Carthage,' an investigation targeting an alleged criminal organization accused of accepting bribes from fraudulent call centers, allowing them to operate with impunity.
Kravchenko refuted any involvement in the alleged corruption scheme, maintaining that the accusations against him were unsubstantiated. On Monday, he announced that he had issued a 'notice of suspicion' against NABU Director Semen Kryvonos, alleging document forgery to secure unlawful benefits on a significant scale. Additionally, Kravchenko issued a second notice of suspicion against an individual linked to SAPO head Oleksandr Klymenko, accusing them of influencing judges at Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court and offering unlawful benefits to help certain individuals avoid military mobilization.
Kravchenko described the second case as the 'trigger' and the 'true reason' for a recent raid on the Prosecutor General's Office. He claimed that 'Operation Carthage' was designed to access case materials involving NABU and SAPO officials and employees, suggesting that the second phase of the operation aimed to remove the prosecutor general and obstruct procedural decisions in those cases.
In response, NABU stated that Kryvonos had not been formally notified of any suspicion and characterized Kravchenko's assertions as part of a 'systematic attack' on the independence of Ukraine's anti-corruption bodies. The Ukrainian parliament is scheduled to vote on Kravchenko's dismissal on Tuesday, parliamentary officials reported.