The Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office is requesting the arrest of SBU General Duka, with bail set at 100 million hryvnia
The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office is requesting that SBU General Serhiy Duka, who was detained as part of Operation “Carthage,” be remanded in custody. As an alternative to arrest, prosecutors are proposing bail in the amount of 100 million hryvnias.
The SAP is requesting that Serhiy Duka be subject to a preventive measure in the form of pretrial detention with the option of posting bail in the amount of 100 million hryvnias. “Detention with an alternative bail of 100 million hryvnias,” said SAP prosecutor Serhiy Karas.
According to him, Duka was detained around 1:00 p.m. on November 4. Therefore, in accordance with the time limits established by law, the court has until 1:00 p.m. on Saturday to determine the preventive measure. Serhiy Duka is a general in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and first deputy head of the Department for the Protection of National Statehood within the SBU. He is a suspect in a criminal case being investigated by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the SAP as part of Operation “Carthage.”
What is known about the “Carthage” case
The investigation concerns the activities of an alleged criminal organization whose members are suspected of systematically bribing high-ranking law enforcement officials. According to NABU and the SAPO, in exchange for bribes, the officials were supposed to provide cover for fraudulent call centers and other illegal businesses. In early November, NABU reported that a high-ranking SBU official had obstructed investigative actions. According to the Bureau, he threatened detectives with a weapon and attempted to prevent a search from taking place.
Subsequently, NABU and the SAP announced the dismantling of a criminal organization which, according to the investigation, included representatives of the SBU, the National Police, and the Prosecutor’s Office. Law enforcement officials claim that participants in the scheme regularly paid bribes to officials in exchange for allowing fraudulent call centers and other illegal enterprises to operate unhindered.
As part of the investigation, anti-corruption agencies detained Serhiy Duka. Later, NABU and the SAPO reported that five high-ranking officials from the SBU and the National Police were suspected of covering up illegal business activities. After the case gained public attention, SBU Director Oleksandr Poklad dismissed two high-ranking SBU officials implicated in the investigation from their posts. He also appealed to a suspect in the case, known by the alias “The Mexican,” urging him to return to Ukraine and turn himself in to law enforcement.
The court is now set to consider the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office’s (SAPO) motion and determine what preventive measure to apply to Serhiy Duka. The prosecution’s request for arrest and bail of 100 million hryvnias reflects the prosecution’s position. The final decision rests with the court. This was reported by SAPO prosecutor Serhiy Mykola Karas.
Serhiy Duka, the former first deputy head of the SBU’s Department for the Protection of National Statehood, known in the case by the nickname “Akim,” stated that prosecutors from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office are dragging out the legal proceedings.
Detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau detained General Serhiy Duka, the first deputy head of the SBU’s Department for the Protection of National Statehood.
Earlier, during investigative actions by the High Anti-Corruption Court, General Duka (according to other reports, his security detail) threatened detectives with a firearm and prevented them from conducting a search, and on the same day, searches were also conducted at the residence of Anton Kravchuk, head of the SBU’s Main Directorate for Internal Security.
As a reminder, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) announced that they had served notices of suspicion to five members of a criminal organization that had been exposed the day before during Operation “Carthage.” Among the suspects are the group’s organizer, as well as high-ranking officials from the Security Service of Ukraine and the National Police.
The head of the Office of the President, Kirilo Budanov, stated that positions, titles, and powers should not shield anyone from accountability for crimes committed.
Dmytro Lytvyn, the President of Ukraine’s communications adviser, stated that the case files for “Carthage” do not contain evidence of bribes being paid to Health Minister Viktor Lyashko or former Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.
Andriy Nebitov, Deputy Head of the National Police of Ukraine and Chief of the Criminal Police, issued a statement following the release of audio recordings in which the suspects discussed possible agreements with the leadership of the National Police. The official emphasized that the mere mention of a name in the suspects’ conversations does not constitute evidence of involvement in criminal activity.
