Ukraine “call center” scandal, DW: Prosecutor’s Office officials also under investigation

NABU and SAPO, Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities, have launched an operation targeting officials from the Prosecutor General’s Office. They are suspected of involvement in a criminal network linked to fraud carried out through so-called “call centers.”

The case is being investigated under the code name “Carthage.” The evidence includes several audio recordings that raise suspicions that senior officials at the Prosecutor’s Office accepted bribes to protect these companies from criminal prosecution.

DW reports that a senior official, identified in the recordings by the alias “the Chancellor,” has been arrested. Suspicions have also extended to former Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko. He has resigned but denies having played any role in illegal activities. According to investigators, some recorded references may be linked to him, while one of the officials involved is also alleged to have provided him with private services.

The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime estimates that approximately 1,000 illegal “call centers” operate in Ukraine, employing an estimated 60,000 people. On average, such a company is estimated to generate around $1 million in revenue each month.

The investigations indicate that Prosecutor’s Office officials may have received hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes each month in exchange for protecting some of these companies. The scandal has erupted at a delicate moment for Ukraine, as the country continues its war with Russia and faces sustained pressure to intensify its anti-corruption efforts.