The High Anti-Corruption Court (HAC) selected a preventive measure for Serhiy Krapiva, deputy head of the Department of International Cooperation of the Prosecutor General's Office. According to the broadcast of the court hearing, which RBC-Ukraine refers to, the investigating judge of the HAC partially granted the prosecutors' motion and sent the suspect into custody directly in the courtroom. The period of detention is set until 2 November 2026.
Conditions of release and procedural obligations
In addition to the arrest, the court set an alternative preventive measure for Krapiva in the form of bail. The amount is 120 million hryvnia. If the specified sum is paid, the suspect will be released from custody, however, a number of procedural obligations characteristic of this preventive measure will be imposed on him. Thus, the court preserved the defendant's ability to avoid further detention in an isolation facility, provided financial security is given.
SAP motion and the prosecution's position
On the eve of the hearing, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) submitted a motion to the court to select a preventive measure for the official of the Prosecutor General's Office. The prosecutors insisted on detaining Krapiva in custody with the possibility of posting bail in the amount of 200 million hryvnia. Having reviewed the case materials, the court reduced the proposed amount to 120 million hryvnia, which indicates a partial satisfaction of the prosecution's position.
Operation "Carthage": the scheme of "protection" of call centers
The investigation is being conducted within the framework of a large-scale special operation under the code name "Carthage". According to law enforcement data, during the investigation the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), together with SAP, uncovered the activities of a criminal organization to which an official of the Prosecutor General's Office was drawn. According to the investigation, the participants of the scheme systematically received undue advantage for the "protection" of a network of fraudulent call centers, as well as engaged in the legalization of illicit assets. Large-scale investigative actions were carried out in several regions, indicating the systemic nature of the identified criminal activity.
Contradictory data
Open sources record a discrepancy in the figures regarding the size of the bail. The SAP prosecutors in their motion sought to set bail at 200 million hryvnia, whereas the court ultimately set the amount at 120 million hryvnia. The difference of 80 million hryvnia is explained by the fact that the court has the discretionary right to adjust the size of the bail within the limits provided for by the Code of Criminal Procedure. Nevertheless, for observers of the process this creates the impression that the prosecution's position was not supported by the court in full. In addition, the initial reports on the investigative actions did not disclose the exact date of their conduct, which gives rise to uncertainty in the chronology of events preceding the HAC hearing.
Context and significance of the decision
The arrest of a senior official of the Prosecutor General's Office against the backdrop of the ongoing anti-corruption operation "Carthage" heightens public attention to the issues of accountability of law enforcement agencies. The case involves not only individual officials but also, according to the investigation, an entire criminal structure linked to fraudulent call centers. The further development of events will depend on whether the prosecution manages to gather a sufficient volume of evidence to refer the case to court on the merits, as well as on the position of Krapiva's defense, which may appeal the selected preventive measure.
