Kropiva, a key figure in the Carthage case, remains in office
Serhiy Kropiva, who is a defendant in the “Carthage” case and is currently in custody, as of September 17 remained formally in his position at the Office of the Prosecutor General. The Office of the Prosecutor General confirmed that no order regarding his dismissal or suspension had been registered. At the same time, disciplinary proceedings have already been opened against the prosecutor.
Serhiy Kropiva, who is a suspect in the “Carthage” operation conducted by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), has not yet been dismissed or suspended from his position at the Office of the Prosecutor General. As of September 17, no such order had been registered at the Office of the Prosecutor General. According to the OGP, Kropiva has held the position of deputy head of the Department of International Cooperation since August 11, 2025.
The Office of the Prosecutor General explicitly stated that, as of September 17, there was no order regarding his suspension or dismissal. “To date, no order by the Prosecutor General regarding the suspension or dismissal of S.V. Kropiva from the position of Deputy Head of the Department of International Cooperation of the Office of the Prosecutor General and the prosecutorial authorities has been registered,” the Office of the Prosecutor General stated in its response.
Disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against Kropiva
At the same time, proceedings against Kropiva have nevertheless begun. On September 8, the head of the General Inspectorate of the Office of the Prosecutor General filed a disciplinary complaint with the Qualification and Disciplinary Commission for Prosecutors. The document also raised the issue of Kropiva’s suspension from office. On September 10, disciplinary proceedings were initiated against the prosecutor.
The Office of the Prosecutor General explained that the law allows for a prosecutor to be suspended for the duration of such proceedings. However, for this to happen, the Qualification and Disciplinary Commission for Prosecutors must consider the matter after receiving a motion. In other words, the mere existence of disciplinary proceedings does not automatically mean dismissal or suspension. This requires a separate decision and the appropriate formalities.
What is known about the “Carthage” case
Serhiy Kropiva is one of the suspects in the case that NABU and the SAPO have dubbed “Operation Carthage.” According to investigators, the case involves the activities of a criminal organization whose members may have received illicit benefits by facilitating the operations of fraudulent call centers and laundering the proceeds. As part of this case, Kropiva was detained in early September. On September 6, the High Anti-Corruption Court imposed a preventive measure on him—detention in custody with the option of bail set at 120 million hryvnias.
On September 16, the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court reviewed the defense’s appeal and upheld the decision. Thus, Kropiva remains in custody with the option of posting bail of 120 million hryvnias. The defense requested that the detention be revoked or replaced with house arrest with an electronic ankle monitor. The attorneys also requested that the bail amount be reduced. The court did not grant these requests. At the same time, Kropiva has the status of a suspect, and his guilt in committing the crime has not yet been established by the court.
Kravchenko had previously called for his removal
Of particular note is that Ruslan Kravchenko, the then-Prosecutor General, had previously made a public statement regarding Kropiva’s suspension. On September 6, he reported that an employee of the Prosecutor General’s Office involved in the case had been suspended from his official duties. Kravchenko also instructed that a personnel decision regarding his dismissal be prepared.
However, the Office of the Prosecutor General’s response to a request from the Center for Political and Legal Reforms (CPLR) showed that, as of September 17, no order regarding Kropiva’s suspension or dismissal had been registered. Thus, there is currently a discrepancy between the public statement by the former leadership of the Prosecutor General’s Office and an officially documented personnel decision. According to the Office of the Prosecutor General itself, as of September 17, no such order regarding Kropiva existed. This is evidenced by the Office of the Prosecutor General’s response to the Anti-Corruption Center’s inquiry.
The Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court considered a complaint regarding the preventive measure imposed on Serhiy Kropiva, the former deputy head of one of the departments of the Office of the Prosecutor General, who is a defendant in the “Carthage” case.
The day before, Ruslan Kravchenko claimed that pressure was being exerted on members of parliament ahead of the Verkhovna Rada’s vote on his dismissal from the post of Prosecutor General.
As a reminder, the Rada supported the dismissal of Ruslan Kravchenko from the post of Prosecutor General.
Kravchenko presented tracking information for a mail shipment linked to Kryvonos.
