Carthage Case: HACC Begins Pre-Trial Detention Hearing for SBU General Duka, Journalists Denied Entry to Courtroom

The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) has begun considering a motion to select a pre-trial restriction for former First Deputy Head of the SBU Department for the Protection of National Statehood, Major General Serhiy Duka, who is a key figure in the high-profile Carthage case. The hearing is open to the public; however, journalists were barred from the courtroom where it is taking place, with the broadcast of the session shown on screens in an adjacent room. Media representatives were not warned in advance about this format.

What the Carthage Operation Uncovered

On November 4, 2026, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) detained Major General Serhiy Duka as part of a large-scale anti-corruption operation codenamed Carthage. According to NABU, this is a special operation to expose a criminal organization that operated for several years under the cover of a number of Ukrainian law enforcement officials.

Scale of the Scheme: Call Centers, Drugs, and Torture

Audio recordings published by NABU indicate that the scheme covered over fifty fraudulent call centers, drug trafficking, and the production of counterfeit currency. According to the bureau, the suspects were also involved in kidnapping and torturing people—beating them with metal pipes and hammers. The tapes discussed, in particular, an acid attack on journalist Denys Bihus in connection with his editorial office's investigation into the U-420 drug shops.

Who Was Part of the Ring

According to NABU, the criminal organization was protected by officials from the SBU, the National Police, and the Prosecutor General's Office. The group included at least 12 people, and five notices of suspicion have been issued. The suspects include "Kriminal" (Andriy Osipov), detained in the summer on suspicion of extorting one million dollars from Russian citizen Alexander Kuznetsov; "Meksikanets" (Yegor Burkin), a fugitive Russian and founder of the transnational drug cartel Khimprom; "Bokser" (Vitaliy Rybalko) and "Pasha," subordinates of "Kriminal" who carried out enforcement and other tasks ("Bokser" was sent to a pre-trial detention center by the HACC on November 5 without the right to bail); "Prays" (Volodymyr Tsenov), a police officer and one of the leaders of the National Police's Department for Strategic Investigations, who, according to NABU, was responsible for covering the call centers' operations (on November 5, the HACC chose detention with the possibility of a 15 million hryvnia bail, which was paid the next day); and "Konsultant," a police officer responsible for security and coordinating certain areas of illegal activity.

Duka's Role and the Incident During the Search

Serhiy Duka, as journalists discovered, is referred to on the tapes by the nickname "Akim." According to the investigation, he provided protection for the group from his own colleagues in the Security Service of Ukraine. Head of the NABU Detective Unit Oleksandr Abakumov told the UP publication that during the search, Duka threatened detectives with a pistol and destroyed equipment with a hammer, while SBU Alpha special forces fighters tried to evacuate the general. Following the exposure and detention, the SBU leadership dismissed Serhiy Duka from his post.

Procedural Dispute Over Media Access

The format of the hearing has already drawn attention: despite the open nature of the session, journalists were not allowed into the courtroom, and the broadcast was shown on screens in an adjacent room. Media representatives were not notified in advance about this format, which calls into question the practical observance of the principle of openness in a high-profile case.