Operation Carthage exposed a criminal network involving senior law enforcement officials accused of protecting fraudulent call centers and illegal businesses, prompting dismissals within the SBU.
Operation Carthage: SBU chief Oleksandr Poklad dismisses two top officials named in NABU investigation.
The SBU said it fully supports the investigation and is ready to assist with all procedural actions. This was reported by NV.
According to SBU Chief Oleksandr Poklad, the Security Service is cooperating with the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), and the special services of partner countries to investigate crimes both in Ukraine and abroad.
He also addressed a person involved in the case known by the nickname “Mexican,” urging him to voluntarily surrender to law enforcement.
The agency stressed that it expects a transparent and impartial investigation and assured the public that the Security Service operates exclusively in Ukraine’s interests.
As previously reported, anti-corruption agencies uncovered a criminal organization as part of Operation Carthage. Its members had established a system of regularly providing illicit benefits to senior law enforcement officials in exchange for allowing fraudulent call centers and other illegal businesses to operate unhindered, Interfax reported.
At least 12 people were involved in the criminal organization.
“During the pre-trial investigation, it was established that the head of the criminal organization, who had previously been convicted multiple times, had recruited current senior officials of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the Office of the Prosecutor General, the National Police, as well as representatives of the criminal underworld, into the illegal activities,” the statement said.
The SAPO statement also included a video featuring materials from covert investigative operations. It specified that the criminal group included the following individuals: the group’s founder and leader, a three-time convicted criminal known as “Criminal”; the head of the Khimprom drug cartel; a Russian citizen known as “Mexican”; and Criminal’s subordinates, nicknamed “Boxer” and “Pasha.”
According to the video, a senior official of the National Police’s Strategic Investigations Department, known as “Price,” was responsible for providing cover for the call centers’ operations.
“Akim” was a senior SBU official, a major general, who ensured protection from scrutiny by his colleagues, according to the NABU video.
