Ukraine charges senior security and police officials over alleged criminal network
Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities have filed criminal charges against three senior security and police officials accused of using their positions to protect an organised crime network involved in fraud, drug sales and the production of counterfeit currency and cigarettes.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) said on Thursday that the suspects include a first deputy head of a department within the country’s Security Service (SBU), a National Police department head and a deputy section chief.
The charges are part of a wider investigation, code-named Operation Carthage, into an alleged criminal organisation that investigators say bribed senior law enforcement officials to allow its illegal businesses to operate without interference.
According to NABU and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, the network involved at least 12 people, including serving officials from the SBU, National Police and the Prosecutor General’s Office, as well as individuals linked to organised crime.
Investigators allege that the group operated fraudulent call centres targeting victims in Ukraine and abroad, while also engaging in drug trafficking and the illegal production of counterfeit cigarettes and foreign currency. Members are also suspected of organising assaults, kidnappings and other acts of violence to advance the group’s interests.
The investigation has triggered disciplinary action within the security agencies. The SBU announced on Wednesday that two senior officers linked to the probe had been dismissed and pledged to cooperate with investigators, while the National Police said officers implicated in the case had been suspended.
Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies say the investigation is ongoing, with further suspects potentially facing charges. The accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court.
