---
title: "Carthage Case: NABU Releases Recordings on Criminal Network Involving Law Enforcement and Shadow Call Centers"
description: "NABU has released video recordings in the Carthage case regarding a criminal network involving SBU, police, and PGO officers that protected shadow call centers. The PGO disputes the interpretation of the recordings."
date: 2026-11-04T13:28:26.374Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/carthage-case-nabu-recordings-criminal-network
tags: [nabu, carthage-operation, ukraine, anti-corruption, prosecutors-office]
author: "Marina Slivenko"
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Carthage Case: NABU Releases Recordings on Criminal Network Involving Law Enforcement and Shadow Call Centers

![Sign of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine on a gray granite building](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/04/delo-karfagen-nabu-zapisi-prestupnaya-set-silovikov/delo-karfagen-nabu-zapisi-prestupnaya-set-silovikov-1.webp)

## Key Points

- NABU published video recordings in the Carthage case concerning a criminal organization involving active SBU, police, and PGO law enforcement officers.
- According to the investigation, fraudulent call centers operated under law enforcement cover, alongside drug trafficking, counterfeit production, and fake currency.
- The case is linked to the resignation of Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko; Anton Kovalsky was appointed as acting prosecutor general.
- The Prosecutor General's Office acknowledged the searches but disputed the validity of the suspicions and the nature of the audio recordings.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has released video recordings in the Carthage case, which, according to the investigation, document the operations of a new criminal organization that provided illegal benefits to law enforcement officials. According to detectives, incumbent officials from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the police, and the Prosecutor General's Office were involved in the scheme. The organizer of the group is described as a man with multiple previous convictions who drew not only law enforcement officers but also representatives of the criminal underworld into the operation.

### How the Scheme Worked

According to the investigation, fraudulent call centers defrauding citizens of Ukraine and foreigners operated under the cover of law enforcement. Under their protection, NABU claims, drugs were also sold, and counterfeit cigarettes and fake foreign currency were illegally produced. The members of the group, according to the bureau, organized planned attacks, kidnappings, and assaults in the group's interest. In exchange for a monthly fee, participants guaranteed call center owners protection from criminal prosecution and the blocking of investigations.

### Connection to Personnel Changes in the Prosecutor's Office

The Carthage case is directly linked to the resignation of Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko. Reports indicate he announced his departure following a meeting at Bankova Street, and on September 15, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved his dismissal. Two days later, the head of state instructed Anton Kovalsky, head of the Khmelnytskyi Regional Prosecutor's Office, to serve as acting Prosecutor General. In his first statement, Kovalsky promised to complete personnel procedures concerning prosecutors within the framework of Carthage. The Carthage special operation was conducted on September 4, according to NABU and the SAPO, and on September 5, the bureau released the first recordings containing evidence.

### Position of the Prosecutor General's Office

The Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) responded to the NABU searches with a separate statement. The agency stated it would facilitate the investigation into the call centers, but pointed to unauthorized access to secret prosecutor files and the groundlessness of suspicions against top PGO officials. The PGO acknowledged that searches took place in premises used by the Prosecutor General, his first deputy, and other employees, emphasizing that the audio recordings concerning the first deputy head and top management refer to everyday and working matters rather than money laundering or criminal activity.

### Context and Procedural Steps

Among those allegedly involved in the case, according to the investigation, are officials from the SBU, the police, and the PGO. The criminal organization, the bureau claims, was established in mid-2025 and led by the head of the Cyber Department of the Prosecutor General's Office. In the published recordings, one of the officials openly voices the motives for participating in the scheme. Concurrently, other participants are appearing in the procedural field: for instance, the driver of one of the operation's suspects was released from a pretrial detention center after posting bail. Thus, the Carthage case remains one of the most high-profile anti-corruption proceedings, touching the upper echelons of the law enforcement vertical.

## Accounts differ

### Nature of the released recordings and involvement of PGO management

- **NABU / SAPO:** The published recordings document the activities of a criminal organization headed by the head of the Cyber Department of the Prosecutor General's Office, which systematically received bribes for protecting shadow call centers and engaged in asset legalization. ([focus.ua](https://focus.ua/politics/766811-esli-vorovat-to-million-nabu-opublikovalo-plenki-ob-otmyvanii-deneg-v-ofise-genprokurora))
- **Prosecutor General's Office:** The audio recordings concerning the first deputy head of the PGO and top management refer to everyday and working matters rather than money laundering or criminal activity; the agency also points to unauthorized access to secret cases and groundless suspicions against top officials. ([focus.ua](https://focus.ua/ukraine/766817-delo-karfagen-v-ofise-generalnogo-prokurora-soobshchili-o-problemah-s-dokumentami))

*Where they agree:* Anti-corruption searches took place in PGO premises used by the Prosecutor General, his first deputy, and other staff — a fact acknowledged by the agency itself.

## Fact-Check & Sources

- [НАБУ опубликовало новые "пленки" по делу "Карфаген" (видео)](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/nabu-opublikuvalo-novi-plivki-spravi-karfagen-1793798614.html) - Primary source basis: publication of recordings, group composition, call centers, link to Kravchenko's resignation and Kovalsky's appointment.
- [Дело "Карфаген": в Офисе Генпрокурора рассказали об обыске НАБУ и тайных документах](https://focus.ua/ukraine/766817-delo-karfagen-v-ofise-generalnogo-prokurora-soobshchili-o-problemah-s-dokumentami) - PGO position: cooperation with the investigation, but pointing to unauthorized access to secret cases and the domestic nature of recordings concerning management.
- ["Если воровать, то миллион": НАБУ опубликовало пленки об отмывании денег в Офисе генпрокурора](https://focus.ua/politics/766811-esli-vorovat-to-million-nabu-opublikovalo-plenki-ob-otmyvanii-deneg-v-ofise-genprokurora) - Dates of operation (September 4) and publication (September 5), role of the PGO Cyber Department head, official's quote, creation of the organization in mid-2025.
- [Водитель Кропивы, который фигурирует в операции "Карфаген", вышел из СИЗО после внесения залога ...](https://www.pravda.com.ua/rus/news/2026/09/21/8054453/) - Procedural episode: release of a suspect's driver on bail (21.09.2026).

## FAQ

### What is the Carthage case?

It is an anti-corruption special operation conducted by NABU and SAPO on September 4, during which, according to the investigation, a criminal organization led by a PGO official providing protection to shadow call centers was exposed.

### Who, according to NABU, was involved in the scheme?

According to the investigation, active officials from the SBU, police, and the Prosecutor General's Office, as well as criminal figures, were involved in the group; a man with multiple prior convictions was named as the organizer.

### How did the Prosecutor General's Office react to the searches?

The PGO stated it would cooperate with the investigation regarding the call centers, but pointed to unauthorized access to secret cases and groundless suspicions against top officials, emphasizing that recordings regarding management concerned domestic and work matters.