Key facts
- Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko stated he would not resign unless President Zelensky requested it.
- Ukraine's anti-corruption bodies NABU and SAPO uncovered a scheme involving protection for illegal call centers.
- Searches were conducted in Kravchenko's office.
- Serhii Kropyva, a deputy head in the Prosecutor General's office, was detained and suspended.
- Kropyva is suspected of laundering over Hr 89 million ($2 million) in assets.
- G7 ambassadors warned that corruption could jeopardize Ukraine's EU integration.
Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko stated he will not resign amid allegations of protecting illegal call centers involved in money laundering unless President Volodymyr Zelensky requests it. The scandal emerged after Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) uncovered a scheme allegedly involving senior officials in Kravchenko's office.
Investigators claim the scheme facilitated the laundering of millions of hryvnias through scam call centers. Searches were conducted in Kravchenko's office as part of the probe. Serhii Kropyva, identified as the deputy head of the Prosecutor General's office's international cooperation department, has been detained and suspended from his duties. He is suspected of laundering assets exceeding 89 million hryvnias (approximately $2 million). A High Anti-Corruption Court ordered Kropyva's custody until November 2 and set his bail at 120 million hryvnias ($2.7 million).
Recordings released by NABU reportedly refer to a 'boss' with the patronymic 'Andriiovych,' understood to be Kravchenko, who allegedly protected the group led by Kropyva. Kravchenko previously served as head of Ukraine's State Tax Service. He has denied any involvement in covering up illegal activities and stated that no position would protect anyone, announcing polygraph testing for staff working on such cases.
The case comes amid ongoing efforts by Ukraine to combat corruption, a key condition for its eventual membership in the European Union. G7 ambassadors have expressed concern that such scandals could jeopardize the country's integration prospects.