The Supreme Anti-Corruption Court (VAKS) on September 8, 2026, selected a preventive measure in the form of detention with respect to lawyer Alexander Didych, who is suspected in the high-profile 'Carthage' case. This is reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing a live broadcast of the court hearing. The court partially granted the request of a National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) detective, applying arrest to Didych. The decision became the latest stage in a large-scale special operation to expose a criminal group operating within the Office of the Prosecutor General.
Ties to the 'Chancellor': Not Just a Power of Attorney, but Kinship
The investigation established that Alexander Didych was a trusted representative of Serhiy Kropyva, known in criminal circles by the nickname 'Chancellor' and who held the position of Head of the Department of International Cooperation of the Office of the Prosecutor General. However, the connection between the two turned out to be far closer than a formal trust relationship: Didych's wife is Kropyva's sister. Thus, the arrested lawyer was simultaneously a trusted representative and a relative of the main figure in the 'Carthage' case, which, according to the investigation, allowed him to play a key role in concealing the 'Chancellor's' assets.
Property Concealment Scheme: Re-Registration Through a Driver
According to the investigation, Didych concealed the ownership of Serhiy Kropyva's property by re-registering it from close relatives of the 'Chancellor' to close associates of the so-called 'Comrade' Kutsyiy — Kropyva's driver. This scheme, according to NABU and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP), allowed the assets to be formally detached from the main figure in the case, creating the appearance of their independent ownership by third parties. It is precisely this chain of re-registrations, investigators believe, that became one of the key pieces of evidence of Didych's involvement in the criminal activities of the group.
Context of the 'Carthage' Operation: From Call Centers to Money Laundering
The 'Carthage' case is a large-scale special operation by NABU and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) to expose a criminal group operating within the structure of the Office of the Prosecutor General. According to the investigation, the organization provided 'protection' for a network of fraudulent call centers and was involved in laundering property obtained through criminal means. The main figure in the operation is named as Serhiy Kropyva, the 'Chancellor.' On September 6, 2026, VAKS placed him in custody with the possibility of posting bail in the amount of 120 million hryvnia. Earlier, the court also selected a preventive measure for Yelyzaveta Ivakhnenko, known by the nickname 'Muse' — she was also placed in custody with the possibility of posting bail of 20 million hryvnia. Didych's arrest became the next logical step in exposing the network.
Contradictory Data
It should be noted that, at the time of publication, all information about Didych's arrest comes from a single channel — the broadcast of the VAKS court hearing, which RBC-Ukraine cites. An official comment from the lawyer himself or his defense has not been published in open sources as of the preparation of this material. In addition, the investigation's wording regarding the re-registration of property 'from close relatives to close associates of other persons' remains quite general and does not disclose the full list of persons involved or the specific property objects. Until a final verdict is delivered, all figures, including Didych, retain the status of suspects and the presumption of innocence.
