--- title: "Operation 'Carthage': NABU and SAP Expose the 'Umbrella' for Fraudulent Call Centers in the Prosecutor General's Office" description: "NABU and SAP are carrying out special operation \"Carthage\" against a criminal group in the Prosecutor General's Office that provided an \"umbrella\" for fraudulent call centers. Serhiy Kropyva, Deputy Head of the International Department, has been detained." date: 2026-09-04T18:34:01.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/nabu-operation-carthage-detention-in-pgo tags: [nabu, sap, ukraine, corruption, call-centers, ogp] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Operation 'Carthage': NABU and SAP Expose the 'Umbrella' for Fraudulent Call Centers in the Prosecutor General's Office ![Wallet with the NABU logo in a hand: symbol of Operation Carthage exposing the 'protection' of fraud call centers in the Prosecutor General's Office](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/04/nabu-operatsiya-karfa-gen-zaderzhaniye-v-ogp/nabu-operatsiya-karfa-gen-zaderzhaniye-v-ogp-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - NABU and SAP are carrying out special operation "Carthage" to expose a criminal organization that provided "protection" for fraudulent call centers and laundered the proceeds. - Serhiy Kropyva, Deputy Head of the International Department of the Prosecutor General's Office, has been detained; the PGO confirmed the investigative actions and will suspend the employee from his duties. - Over 12 months, law enforcement carried out more than 1,050 searches and blocked around 340 illegal call centers; 147 criminal proceedings are under investigation. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) are carrying out a large-scale special operation codenamed "Carthage," aimed at exposing a criminal organization that operated with the involvement of an official of the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO). According to the investigation, the group provided an "umbrella" for a network of fraudulent call centers and was involved in laundering funds obtained through criminal activity. This is reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing NABU, SAP, and a statement by People's Deputy Oleksiy Honcharenko. ### Operation 'Carthage': what is known about the scheme According to materials cited by RBC-Ukraine, this concerns a systematic structure that not only "protected" fraudulent call centers but also channeled into the legal economy assets obtained through criminal means. The call centers, as described by law enforcement, lured citizens onto fictitious investment platforms and gained unauthorized access to their bank accounts. ### Detention at the Prosecutor General's Office As People's Deputy Oleksiy Honcharenko reported, NABU detectives have already detained Serhiy Kropyva, Deputy Head of the International Department of the Prosecutor General's Office. Independent sources of RBC-Ukraine confirmed the fact of his detention. Thus, at the center of the investigation is a senior official of the very agency responsible for coordinating the fight against corruption and organized crime. ### Reaction of the Prosecutor General's Office The PGO confirmed that investigative actions are being carried out against its employee and assured full cooperation with the anti-corruption bodies. The suspected official will be suspended from his duties for the duration of the pre-trial investigation. "On the possible involvement of one of the Office's employees in unlawful activity: all the circumstances must be established by the investigation. We will provide the anti-corruption bodies with full assistance and all necessary information within the framework of the law," the agency stated. Meanwhile, PGO spokesperson Maryana Haiovska denied online reports of searches at the residence of Prosecutor General Ruslan Khrachenko. ### Scale of the fight against call centers The PGO emphasized that systematic countermeasures against fraudulent call centers are ongoing. Over the past 12 months, law enforcement carried out more than 1,050 searches and blocked the activities of around 340 illegal call centers and 5,000 operator workstations. Currently, 147 criminal proceedings are under investigation, suspicion has been announced to more than 180 individuals, and cases against 93 suspects have already been referred to court. The damage to victims of these schemes is estimated at tens of millions of hryvnia; 37 international joint investigation teams have been involved in the investigations under the coordination of Eurojust and with the support of Europol. ### Context: tightening of legislation Recall that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously stated that Ukraine is preparing to tighten penalties for organizing fraudulent call centers, as well as for schemes involving bank cards and so-called "drop" accounts. Last month, police across the country were inspecting the infrastructure of fraudulent call centers. Operation "Carthage" fits into the general trend of strengthening the fight against telecom fraud and searching for possible "umbrellas" within state structures. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - ["Umbrella" for call centers and a detention at the Prosecutor General's Office: all the details of Operation "Carthage"](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/krishuvannya-kol-tsentriv-ta-zatrimannya-1788546251.html) - Первичный источник: детали операции, задержание Сергея Кропивы, цитата ОГП, статистика по колл-центрам. - [NABU announces Operation "Carthage"](https://24tv.ua/ru/operacija-karfagen-nabu-i-sap-razoblachajut-prestupnuju-organizaciju-vo-glave-s-dolzhnostnym-licom-ogp_n3136250) - Подтверждает объявление операции «Карфаген» и участие должностного лица ОГП. - [Operation "Carthage": an "umbrella" for fraudulent call centers found in the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine](https://www.gazeta.ru/politics/2026/09/04/23505721.shtml) - Независимое подтверждение схемы «крышевания» и связи с Офисом генпрокурора. - [An unexpected turn: how NABU exposed possible corruption in the Prosecutor General's Office](https://my.ua/news/cluster/2026-09-04-neozhidannyi-povorot-kak-nabu-razoblachilo-vozmozhnuiu-korruptsiiu-v-ofise-genprokurora) - Подтверждает коррупционный контекст разоблачения внутри ОГП. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: What is Operation 'Carthage'? **A:** It is a large-scale special operation by NABU and SAP to expose a criminal organization that, according to the investigation, provided an "umbrella" for a network of fraudulent call centers and laundered assets obtained through criminal activity. ### Q: Who was detained as part of the operation? **A:** NABU detectives detained Serhiy Kropyva, Deputy Head of the International Department of the Prosecutor General's Office, as reported by People's Deputy Oleksiy Honcharenko, with the fact confirmed by RBC-Ukraine sources. ### Q: How did the Prosecutor General's Office react? **A:** The PGO confirmed that investigative actions are being carried out against its employee, assured full cooperation with the anti-corruption bodies, and announced the suspension of the suspect from his duties for the duration of the pre-trial investigation. The PGO spokesperson denied rumors of searches at the residence of the Office's head, Ruslan Khrachenko.