Key facts
- Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko announced charges against NABU director Semen Kryvonos.
- Kravchenko resigned amid a corruption investigation into the Prosecutor General's Office.
- Kryvonos denies the charges, calling them fabricated.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree to suspend Kravchenko and submitted a motion to parliament to fire him.
- Lawmakers are set to vote on Kravchenko's dismissal on September 15.
Ukraine's Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko announced charges against Semen Kryvonos, the head of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), shortly after resigning amid a corruption investigation. Analysts suggest this move could escalate into a political crisis, depending on whether it is a personal vendetta or a crackdown backed by President Volodymyr Zelensky's administration.
The charges against Kryvonos, which include alleged falsification of paternity documents to avoid punishment in a 2007 bribery case and agreeing to illegally allocate land for a bribe in 2014, were seen by many as a retaliatory act. These announcements followed a large-scale NABU and SAPO investigation that implicated Kravchenko's office, leading to the charging of a top prosecutor described as his confidant and a search of Kravchenko's personal office.
Adding to the controversy, Kravchenko departed Ukraine on September 14, ostensibly for a conference in Paris, but organizers stated he was not expected to attend, fueling suspicions he was attempting to flee. President Zelensky has since issued a decree to suspend Kravchenko and submitted a motion to parliament for his dismissal, with a vote scheduled for September 15.
Kryvonos stated he had not seen or been formally served with the charges and called them fabricated. Lawyers noted that mail service of charges is only permissible if in-person service is impossible. Kravchenko's office has not provided details on charges against an associate of Oleksandr Klymenko, chief of SAPO, though Klymenko stated no family members were charged.
Observers, including lawmaker Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, believe Kravchenko may have abused his office to evade charges related to a scheme protecting scamming operations. A lawmaker from Zelensky's party, speaking anonymously, suggested Kravchenko's actions were an attempt to weaken NABU and undermine public trust.