Ukraine's prosecutor general resigns after corruption allegations tied to scam call centers

Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), together with the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), announced on Saturday that it had uncovered a money-laundering network allegedly led by an official within the Prosecutor General's Office. Raids were conducted as part of the investigation.

Investigators say the network collected payments in exchange for protecting call centers involved in telephone fraud schemes, laundering money worth millions. Such fraud has surged both in Ukraine and Russia during more than four years of war following Russia's invasion.

Bribes used for property and valuables

According to NABU, the bribes were used to purchase real estate, jewelry and other valuable items. The bureau released photos of a safe stuffed with bundles of US dollar bills and said it had identified five people involved in the scheme, though their names have not been disclosed.

Resignation and denial

Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko publicly rejected the allegations on Sunday, calling them entirely baseless and denying any wrongdoing. On Monday, however, he announced his resignation via Telegram, saying he did not want the Prosecutor General's Office to be used as a tool in political confrontation. He added that his position regarding the accusations remains unchanged.

The case adds to a series of corruption scandals that have touched senior officials in Ukraine during the war, including people close to President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to the Switzerland-based Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), roughly 60,000 people are employed in illegal call centers in Ukraine.