Zelenskyy: No meetings held yet regarding candidates for prosecutor general

Iryna Balachuk - 25 September, 11:50

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Photo: President's Office

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that following the dismissal of Ruslan Kravchenko, he has not yet held any meetings regarding potential new candidates for the post of prosecutor general.

Source: Zelenskyy during an online Q&A session with the media

Details: Zelenskyy was asked whether he plans to submit the candidacy of Anton Kovalskyi for appointment as prosecutor general.

Quote from Zelenskyy: "Anton Kovalskyi is serving as acting prosecutor general. Regarding candidates for the position of prosecutor general, I have not yet held a single meeting or had any communication."

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.
Kravchenko did not return to Ukraine, instead submitting an application to resign from the prosecution service altogether.
On 17 September, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a decree appointing Anton Kovalskyi, Head of Khmelnytskyi Oblast Prosecutor's Office, as acting prosecutor general.

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