Ukraine's Prosecutor General Kravchenko confirms he is abroad on official trip
Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko has confirmed that he is abroad, saying he is on an official trip during which meetings with international partners are planned.
Source: Kravchenko on Telegram; Ukrainska Pravda sources
Quote from Kravchenko: "I am currently on an official trip abroad, during which a number of meetings are planned. At these meetings, I intend to brief international partners about the true state of affairs within Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies, indications that unchecked influence is becoming concentrated in their hands, and the risks that this poses to Ukraine's national sovereignty, the rule of law and democratic institutions."
Details: According to Ukrainska Pravda sources in law enforcement, Kravchenko is currently in Lithuania.
Background:
- On 5 September, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) announced that they had uncovered a criminal organisation headed by a senior official in one of the structural units of the Prosecutor General's Office. Its members are suspected of systematically accepting bribes from scam call centres and money laundering.
- On 7 September, amid the NABU and SAPO investigation, Kravchenko submitted his resignation as prosecutor general.
- On the morning of 14 September, Kravchenko said he had signed a notice of suspicion against NABU Director Semen Kryvonos and accused NABU and SAPO of unlawfully seizing materials concerning cases against their employees during searches conducted as part of Operation Carthage in order to prevent procedural decisions in those cases.
- Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on parliament to urgently approve Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko's resignation.
- Davyd Arakhamiia, leader of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction, said that the Verkhovna Rada plans to consider Kravchenko's resignation on Tuesday 15 September.
- Ukrainska Pravda previously reported that according to sources in law enforcement, Kravchenko left Ukraine in an official vehicle on the night of 13-14 September.
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