The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) has partially satisfied the defense's motion in the fraudulent call center case known as 'Karthago'. This is reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to a statement by the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP). The court extended the pre-trial detention period for three members of the criminal organization for another two months while simultaneously reducing their bail amounts.

Court Decision

According to the investigation, the targeted criminal group operated within the Office of the Prosecutor General and was involved in 'covering' fraudulent call centers. The HACC left the three defendants in custody, granting the defense's motion only regarding the reduction of bail sums. Thus, the pre-trial detention measure remained in place, while the financial alternative was eased.

Who the Defendants Are

The case involves Sergiy Kropyva, deputy head of a unit at the Office of the Prosecutor General, who is accused of managing the criminal organization; his accomplice Yelyzaveta Ivakhnenko, appearing in the case files under the alias 'Musa'; and a trusted person, who, according to media reports, is lawyer Oleksandr Didych. All three are listed as members of an organization associated with laundering funds and ensuring the operation of fraudulent call centers.

New Bail Amounts

The court reduced the bail amounts for all three suspects. For Sergiy Kropyva, the amount was reduced from 120 million hryvnias to 93 million hryvnias; for Yelyzaveta Ivakhnenko, from 20 million hryvnias to 15 million hryvnias; and for the trusted person, from 15 million hryvnias to 11.6 million hryvnias. Pre-trial detention was maintained, and its term was extended by two months.

Progress of the 'Karthago' Investigation

Earlier, NABU and SAP revealed details of the investigation: according to the investigation, one of the officials of the Office of the Prosecutor General provided 'cover' for fraudulent call centers. Sergiy Kropyva, Deputy Head of the Department for International Legal Cooperation of the GPU, became a key figure. Recordings published by anti-corruption agencies also mentioned Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko: in particular, according to the investigation, Kropyva organized his partner's flight to Spain shortly before the Prosecutor General's scheduled business trip.

Chronology and Next Steps

On September 6, the HACC chose pre-trial detention for Kropyva with the alternative of posting bail in the amount of 120 million hryvnias, and on September 14, the Prosecutor General signed a notice of suspicion against NABU Director Semen Kryvonos; at the same time, it became known about Kravchenko's departure abroad. An internal investigation into the circumstances of this departure was launched in the Office of the Prosecutor General. The current HACC decision to reduce bail and extend the period of detention is the next stage of procedural actions in the 'Karthago' case.