Acting Prosecutor General Kovalskyi: 'clean up the system', and a new criminal case against Kropyva
Anton Kovalskyi said Zelensky tasked him with keeping the prosecution service running and clearing it of 'unworthy people'. A new case was opened against Serhii Kropyva, a suspect in the 'Carthage' probe.
What Kovalskyi said
Acting Prosecutor General Anton Kovalskyi met journalists on 2 November. He said that before his appointment President Volodymyr Zelensky gave him the task “to ensure the work of the prosecution service and clean the system of people who are unworthy of working here”.
Asked about so-called “telephone justice”, Kovalskyi said he had not encountered it so far and was convinced “they won’t call”, because he had agreed with the president to carry out the tasks he was given. His plan, he said, is not to create even more problems in the prosecution service, “and that will already be an achievement”.
New case against Kropyva
Kovalskyi also said that, following an internal investigation, he registered a criminal case against Serhii Kropyva, former deputy head of the Prosecutor General’s Office department for international legal cooperation, and assigned it to the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR). According to him, investigators established numerous instances of Kropyva using an office car for private purposes and being in the Bukovel ski resort during working hours.
The case is registered under Part 4 of Article 191 (misappropriation or embezzlement of property) and Part 1 of Article 366 (official forgery) of the Criminal Code. Disciplinary materials were sent to the prosecutors’ qualification and disciplinary commission; Kropyva has been suspended and, Kovalskyi said, will “most likely” be dismissed.
Context
On 4 September NABU and SAPO announced operation “Carthage”: investigators say a group led by the head of a unit of the Prosecutor General’s Office took bribes to protect fraudulent call centres. Ukrainska Pravda reported that Kropyva was the official detained. On 6 September the High Anti-Corruption Court remanded him in custody with bail set at UAH 120 million; on 29 October custody was extended by 60 days with bail of over UAH 93 million. Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko resigned after the scandal, was dismissed on 15 September, and on 17 September Zelensky appointed Kovalskyi acting Prosecutor General.
What next
The new case will be investigated by the DBR; the “Carthage” call-centre case is handled separately by NABU and SAPO. Guilt must be proven in court.
Sources
This is an original short summary. All facts are as reported by the source below.
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