Former prosecutor general left Ukraine in premium taxi – UP sources

Mykhailo Tkach, STANISLAV POHORILOV, Iryna Balachuk - 22 September, 16:54

Ruslan Kravchenko. Photo: Kravchenko on social media

Former prosecutor general Ruslan Kravchenko left Ukraine for abroad on the night of 13-14 September in a premium taxi rather than an official vehicle, crossing the border at the Shehyni-Medyka checkpoint.

Source: Ukrainska Pravda journalist Mykhailo Tkach, citing law enforcement sources

Quote: "Despite the fact that the official trip to Paris, which he himself had signed, stated that the journey was to be made in an official vehicle, Kravchenko crossed the border in a premium taxi. This is a premium transport service."

Details: Kravchenko used a Mercedes-Benz V-Class taxi. The vehicle belongs to Andreolli LLC and is used for premium international passenger transport services on demand.

The driver was registered as a sole proprietor in the transport sector and was born on 29 December 1990.

Tkach noted that Kravchenko therefore did not pay for the trip using the daily allowance provided for official trips.

It is currently unknown where the former prosecutor general went after crossing the border. "Our sources in law enforcement and political circles continue to say that he was supposedly choosing between Austria, Vienna, Dubai and the United Arab Emirates," the journalist said.

Kravchenko resigned from the prosecution service on 21 September.

Background:

On 7 September, Kravchenko resigned as prosecutor general amid an investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) into the alleged "protection" of scam call centres.
On 14 September, Kravchenko said he had signed a notice of suspicion against NABU director Semen Kryvonos and accused NABU and SAPO of seizing materials from criminal proceedings against employees of the anti-corruption agencies in the course of searches conducted as part of Operation Carthage.
According to Ukrainska Pravda sources in law enforcement, Kravchenko left Ukraine in an official car on the night of 13-14 September.
He said in a statement that he had left to go on an official trip. According to an order by the prosecutor general dated 13 September, a copy of which was seen by Ukrainska Pravda, Kravchenko left for Paris for five days "to take part in PACE hearings on Ukrainian children". However, he was not listed among the speakers on the event agenda.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) to back Kravchenko's dismissal as prosecutor general.
On 14 September, Zelenskyy signed a decree suspending Kravchenko as prosecutor general. The Verkhovna Rada later voted in favour of his dismissal.
As of 21 September, Kravchenko, whose official trip abroad ended on 18 September, had not returned to work.

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