The Prosecutor General's Office has dismissed eight people as part of an anti-corruption operation
The Office of the Prosecutor General dismissed eight individuals mentioned in connection with Operation “Carthage” and eliminated a number of positions. Acting Prosecutor General Kovalsky reported on the results of the investigation, adding that 24 prosecutors underwent polygraph tests and that a personnel audit at the Office of the Prosecutor General and regional prosecutor’s offices is ongoing.
Acting Prosecutor General Anton Kovalsky announced this on Facebook.
According to Kovalsky, he held working meetings with the heads of departments at the Office of the Prosecutor General and regional prosecutor’s offices, analyzed their work, and conducted a personnel audit.
“Today I can speak about the initial results. The main point is this: the prosecutor’s office cannot hold others accountable if it is not prepared to hold itself accountable. The prosecutor’s offices continue to operate and fulfill the functions entrusted to them. There are professional teams, results, and sound practices.
But where there are questions regarding integrity, the quality of management, or the accountability of leaders, appropriate decisions must be made. I understand the public demand for measures taken within the General Prosecutor’s Office in connection with the circumstances being investigated as part of Operation ‘Carthage,’” explained the acting Prosecutor General.
“An internal investigation into former Deputy Head of the OGP Department Aydin Khudiev has been completed. The findings will be forwarded to the Qualification and Disciplinary Commission. The position he held has been eliminated.
An internal investigation has been launched and is ongoing regarding the former Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko’s trip abroad. We are verifying compliance with established procedures and the circumstances surrounding the organization of the business trip,” Kovalsky noted.
An internal investigation is also underway regarding Serhiy Kropiva, deputy head of the Department of International Cooperation at the Prosecutor General’s Office, who was detained in connection with the “Carthage” case. The investigation is examining the circumstances surrounding his use of official authority for personal gain and possible interference in the official duties of other prosecutors.
A disciplinary complaint from the General Inspectorate of the Office of the Prosecutor General is currently under review by the Disciplinary Committee. The position he held has been eliminated.
“Another important area is internal security. A total of 24 prosecutors underwent polygraph testing. The information obtained was forwarded to the commission conducting the internal investigation.
During this period, eight individuals mentioned in connection with Operation “Carthage” were dismissed from the prosecutor’s office. Seven of them worked in the Office of the Prosecutor General. Four were dismissed from administrative positions, including the head of the Department of Information Technology and the head of the Division for Combating Criminal Offenses in the Field of Cybersecurity.
The deputy head of the Cherkasy Regional Prosecutor’s Office was also dismissed from his administrative position. Following this, the position was abolished,” noted the acting Prosecutor General.
“The Directorate for Combating Criminal Offenses in the Field of Cybersecurity has been abolished. The Department for Oversight of Law Enforcement by Agencies Combating Organized Crime and for Investment Protection has been reorganized—the investment protection function has been separated into a distinct unit.
The heads of these units have been dismissed from their posts. New heads have also been appointed to the Department of International Cooperation and the Department of Organizational and Control Activities, Legal and Analytical Support,” added Kovalsky.
According to the acting Prosecutor General, a decision was made not to exercise the option of appointing, without a competitive selection process, individuals who did not hold prosecutorial positions at the time of appointment.
“This procedure is provided for by law. At the same time, I believe it is appropriate to evaluate the practice of its application and the appointments already made under it.
Therefore, we are conducting a personnel audit of appointments to administrative positions in the General Prosecutor’s Office and regional prosecutor’s offices. I do not question the legality of the procedure itself. But every appointment must be justified in terms of the individual’s professionalism, experience, and suitability for the position,” he explained.
Specifically, at the General Prosecutor’s Office, the head of a department and the director of a division within one of the departments were dismissed from their posts. In regional and district prosecutor’s offices, 16 prosecutors were dismissed from administrative positions, including the heads of the Vyshhorod District Prosecutor’s Office in Kyiv Oblast and the Vyzhnytsia District Prosecutor’s Office in Chernivtsi Oblast.
Orders were also issued to dismiss the deputy heads of the Khmelnytskyi and Volyn regional prosecutor’s offices from their posts.
The audit is currently ongoing.
In addition, the acting Prosecutor General decided to remove the heads of the Kharkiv and Volyn regional prosecutor’s offices from their administrative posts.
As a reminder, Kropiva’s driver was released from pretrial detention on bail of 3 million hryvnias in the “Carthage” case.
A prosecutor from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) denied that Kropiva was on a business trip to Lviv.
Prosecutor Kropiva, a suspect in a NABU investigation, secured a pension of 300,000 at the age of 42 through the courts.
