Ukraine's two leading anti-corruption agencies say they have uncovered a new criminal organisation whose members systematically bribed senior law enforcement officials so that scam call centres and other illegal businesses could operate without interference.
The Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) announced the findings as part of an investigation known as Operation Carthage.
Investigators established that serving senior officials from the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), the National Police and the Prosecutor General's Office were involved in the alleged criminal activities, alongside representatives of the criminal underworld.
According to the agencies, the arrangement ensured the uninterrupted operation of call centres that scammed Ukrainian and foreign citizens, the sale of drugs, and the illegal production of counterfeit cigarettes and foreign currency.
Investigators also found that members of the organisation were involved in assaults, abductions and inflicting bodily harm on individuals in the group's interests.
The anti-corruption agencies said at least 12 people belonged to the organisation. In a video released by NABU and SAPO, a suspect codenamed "Criminal" was identified as the group's founder and leader, while another suspect, codenamed "Mexican", was described as the founder and leader of the Khimprom drug cartel.
According to the investigators, suspects known as "Boxer" and "Pasha" were subordinates of "Criminal" and carried out his instructions. A suspect codenamed "Price" was identified as one of the heads of the National Police's Strategic Investigations Department, responsible for providing cover for the call centres.
Another police officer, referred to as "Consultant", was allegedly responsible for security and coordinated certain areas of the organisation's activities. A suspect codenamed "Akim" was identified as an SSU major general who, according to the agencies, provided protection from scrutiny by other service personnel.
The announcement came as Ukrainska Pravda sources reported that searches were carried out on 4 November at premises of Anton Kravchuk, head of the SSU's Main Internal Security Directorate, and Oleksandr Kovalchuk, first deputy head of Directorate D within the SSU's Department for the Protection of National Statehood. The sources said the searches may have been linked to the activities of Andrii Osipov, alias "Criminal", who was previously detained by NABU and SAPO.
The SSU confirmed that anti-corruption agencies searched the premises of several of its employees and said it was "cooperating with the investigative authorities". Ukrainska Pravda also obtained photos and video footage of searches carried out at the home of General Serhii Duka, first deputy head of the Department for the Protection of National Statehood at the SSU.
