OMM Newsroom
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) dismissed two senior officials on Wednesday amid an investigation into an alleged criminal network whose members are accused of protecting illegal businesses, Anadolu Agency reported.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) said they had uncovered an organization involving at least a dozen people during an ongoing investigation called “Operation Carthage.”
According to the agencies, the suspected ringleader, who had several previous convictions, recruited officials from the SBU, National Police and Prosecutor General’s Office, as well as people from the criminal underworld.
“Under the protection of these law enforcement officials, the group facilitated the operation of fraudulent call centers — which scammed both Ukrainian citizens and foreign nationals — as well as the sale of narcotics and the illicit production of counterfeit cigarettes and fake foreign currency,” NABU said in a statement.
SAPO also alleged that members of the organization carried out attacks, abductions and assaults on the group’s behalf.
Later on Wednesday, SBU chief Oleksandr Poklad said he had dismissed two high-ranking officials and pledged full cooperation with investigators.
“The Security Service expects a transparent, objective, and impartial investigation. I have discussed this, among other things, with the heads of the NABU and the SAPO. There is clear and constructive cooperation,” Poklad said.
He added that the agency was coordinating with intelligence services in partner countries to ensure the investigation extended to other jurisdictions.
The National Police said officers implicated in the case had been temporarily suspended from duty. It urged the public to “refrain from making premature conclusions and assessments” until the investigation is completed.
In September, Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko was dismissed amid the same investigation. Anti-corruption investigators said they had uncovered an alleged criminal organization led by a department head at the Prosecutor General’s Office.
Members of the group are suspected of taking bribes from fraudulent call centers in exchange for allowing them to operate without interference.
Combating corruption remains a key requirement for Ukraine’s efforts to join the European Union, which formally opened accession negotiations with Kyiv in June 2024.
