Ukraine court orders detention of prosecutor's office official Kropyva, bail set at 120 million hryvnias

Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court ruled on Sunday, September 6, to detain Serhiy Kropyva, deputy head of the International Cooperation Department at the Prosecutor General's Office. The court set detention until November 2, with an alternative option of release on bail of 120 million hryvnias.

Kropyva is suspected of shielding fraudulent call centers in exchange for benefits, as well as laundering assets worth more than 89 million hryvnias. A prosecutor from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) told the court that Kropyva had coordinated renovation work at the home of Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko in Kozyn. The prosecutor had initially asked the court to set bail at 200 million hryvnias.

Background

On September 4, it emerged that the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and SAPO were conducting searches involving Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, his deputy Maria Vdovychenko, and the head of the Odesa Regional Administration, Oleh Kiper. The Prosecutor General's Office initially denied searches at Kravchenko's property, but later confirmed that NABU detectives had carried out investigative actions in premises used by Kravchenko.

On September 5, NABU and SAPO announced they had exposed a criminal organization allegedly led by the head of one of the Prosecutor General's Office's structural units. Members are suspected of systematically taking bribes from fraudulent call centers and laundering the proceeds. According to sources, the individual in question is Serhiy Kropyva, who was detained in connection with the case.