Prosecutor General's Office confirms that "premises used by prosecutor general" were searched
The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office has confirmed that detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) carried out searches at official premises used by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, his first deputy Maria Vdovychenko and other staff from the Prosecutor General's Office at around midnight.
Source: Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office
Details: The Office of the Prosecutor General (OPG) said that the searches gave detectives access to case files concerning possible unlawful actions by individuals close to the leadership of the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO).
According to the OPG, the case has been investigated under the OPG's procedural supervision, and SAPO's leadership has been aware of the investigation and its progress.
NABU has also gained access to materials from another case, including information gathered in the course of covert investigative operations into possible unlawful activities by NABU and SAPO staff.
The OPG said it is seeking to determine whether the detectives had been granted access appropriate to the case for which the searches were conducted, whether the materials had been examined, copied, or seized, and whether the actions had been authorised by a court.
Quote: "At around midnight, NABU detectives did in fact conduct investigative actions at the offices used by the Prosecutor General, the First Deputy Prosecutor General and other staff and departments of the Office of the Prosecutor General.
The scale of these investigative actions, the grounds for them and the list of materials accessed require a separate legal assessment."
More details: Regarding Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, the OPG noted that the search warrant refers to conversations between an OPG employee and others about "dark tiles" and the installation of an alarm system and internal sensors in premises used by the prosecutor general. The OPG says the investigators believe the conversations were connected with funds that may have been obtained illegally.
However, the OPG maintains that the materials cited in the warrant contain no direct evidence that Kravchenko instructed anyone to facilitate the operations of scam call centres, obstruct their exposure or investigation, warn them about investigative actions, receive funds or unlawful benefits from the operations, or pay for renovations and other services using illicit funds.
The OPG says any link between these everyday conversations and possible criminal activity in the case file is "largely based on speculation".
The OPG also highlighted a conversation about possible amendments to Order No. 309 on the work of prosecutors in criminal proceedings. According to the investigators, an OPG employee referred to an agreement with the "boss", which they understood to mean the prosecutor general. This conversation was one of the grounds for conducting the investigative actions.
The OPG emphasises that Kravchenko did not sign the amendments, which were neither adopted nor brought into force.
Regarding First Deputy Prosecutor General Mariia Vdovychenko, the OPG said the conversations cited in the search warrant were about investigative actions to target scam call centres and efforts to combat their activities, but, the OPG said, investigators had used these conversations as evidence that she may have facilitated the call centres' activities.
Background: On the evening of 4 September, OPG spokesperson Mariana Haiovska emphasised in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda that no investigative actions had been carried out either at the prosecutor general's home or in his office.
Sources in political circles told Ukrainska Pravda that Kravchenko's whereabouts have been unknown since NABU and SAPO launched Operation Carthage. However, the OPG insisted that Kravchenko had been at his workplace on Saturday.
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