Ukraine’s Prosecutor-General Denies Corruption Allegations

Ukraine’s Prosecutor-General Ruslan Kravchenko has rejected corruption allegations after anti-corruption investigators searched his office as part of a probe into illegal call centers.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office said on Saturday that they had exposed a money-laundering scheme “led by an official from the Prosecutor-General’s Office.” Investigators said the network received money to shield telephone fraud centers and “laundered millions in assets.”

The agencies said bribes funded the purchase of real estate, jewelry and other valuable goods. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau also released photographs of a safe packed with dollars and said it had identified five members of the alleged scheme, without naming them.

Kravchenko issued a statement on social media Sunday evening. He described the accusations as completely unfounded and denied any illegal actions. Ukraine has spent years trying to eradicate corruption, including during Russia’s invasion, while several scandals have affected people close to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Telephone fraud has increased sharply in both Ukraine and Russia during more than four years of war. The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, based in Switzerland, estimates that about 60,000 people work in illegal call centers in Ukraine.