SBU General Sergiy Duka from detention accuses NABU of revenge and challenges leadership to a public debate: 'Carthage' case details

On November 4, 2026, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) detained Major General Sergiy Duka, First Deputy Head of the Department for the Protection of National Statehood (DPNS) of the SBU. The detention took place as part of criminal proceedings concerning the activities of an organized criminal group, known in the media as the "Carthage" case. On November 6, the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) ordered him to be held in custody with bail set at 65 million hryvnias, while prosecutors had requested 100 million. On November 10, via lawyer Yuriy Sukhov, an open letter from Duka was delivered from the detention center, in which he outlined his position on the case.

The General's position: operational work, not participation in a criminal group

In his statement, Duka insists on his innocence and points out that prior to his detention, he was leading classified intelligence and counter-intelligence operations. He claims that the evidence base is built on fragments of conversations taken out of context, and that contact with sources of information as part of operational agency work does not make an officer a member of an organized criminal group. The general also questioned the authenticity of the released audio materials and demanded an expert examination for the potential use of generative neural networks and voice-cloning technologies.

Complaints against the investigation team and the conflict of interest issue

A key argument of the defense, according to Duka, is the existence of a conflict of interest within the investigative team. He claims that the motion for the preventive measure was signed by NABU detective Roman Nedov, against whom the SBU had previously conducted procedural actions. Furthermore, the general states that during procedural actions, he was told about the possibility of isolation for a period comparable to that spent in custody by NABU detective Ruslan Magamedrasulov, who was detained by the SBU in the summer of 2025. Duka also notes that pressure on the DPNS leadership could affect the operation of established agency channels during martial law.

The investigation's position and the HACC decision

NABU and SAPO hold a different position. According to the investigation, Duka, who appears in the materials under the codename "Akim," coordinated and covered shadow financial flows, including drug trafficking channels, using his official position to assist the organized group. The case files also include information about an attempt to destroy official mobile devices on the eve of the detention. On November 6, the HACC ordered pre-trial detention with a bail of 65 million hryvnias.

Demand for public debate and parliamentary level

In conclusion, Duka proposed moving the dispute to an open format: he called on NABU Director Semen Kryvonos and SAPO Head Oleksandr Klymenko to a live public debate on the case materials. The suspect also declared his readiness to testify before the relevant committees of the Verkhovna Rada on issues regarding the closing of high-profile cases in which, according to him, the leadership of anti-corruption agencies was involved. Thus, the case has moved beyond the scope of a standard anti-corruption process and acquired the character of an open inter-agency dispute, bringing closed operational details into the public sphere.