Prosecutor General’s Office department head allegedly arranged protection for fraudulent call centres

Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies say a senior official in the Prosecutor General’s Office created a criminal organisation to protect fraudulent call centres from law enforcement. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office said the group took systematic bribes and laundered the proceeds.

Investigators allege that the organisation was formed in mid-2025. Its leader reportedly recruited serving prosecutors and associates, who accepted illicit payments in return for not interfering with call centres whose victims included Ukrainian and foreign citizens.

NABU said more than UAH 20 million, about $449,400, was spent on property, jewellery and other valuables. The alleged leader also transferred assets worth more than UAH 12 million, or about $269,600, to third parties. Those assets included property in an apartment complex near the Carpathian Mountains. Investigators further allege that more than UAH 10 million, about $224,700, was placed in accounts belonging to close associates and disguised as business income.

Authorities say they have exposed five suspected members. The case concerns the creation of and participation in a criminal organisation and the laundering of criminal proceeds. The investigation continues to identify possible additional members. Ukrainska Pravda reported that searches and investigative actions were conducted as part of the operation, and that Serhii Kropyva, deputy head of the Prosecutor General’s Office’s International Legal Cooperation Department, was detained, citing sources in business circles. The Prosecutor General’s Office denied searches at Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko’s home, while saying it would cooperate fully and suspend an employee whose possible involvement is being investigated.