Senior Ukrainian law enforcement officials charged in sprawling scam call center case
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Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies on Nov. 5 charged five members of an alleged criminal group involved in protecting scam call centers, drug trafficking, and counterfeiting foreign currency in a case implicating senior law enforcement officials.
The suspects include senior Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and police officials, according to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU). The High Anti-Corruption Court placed two suspects in pre-trial detention.
The latest developments are part of a broader investigation into an alleged network protecting scam call centers. In September, the revelations brought down then-Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, who subsequently fled the country.
NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) said on Nov. 4 that the newly exposed scheme involved senior officials from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the National Police, and the Prosecutor General's Office, as well as "members of criminal groups."
Media reports identified the alleged group's leaders as Andriy Osipov and Yehor Birkin, the founder of the transnational drug ring known as "Khimprom." In NABU recordings, they were referred to as "Criminal" and "Mexican," respectively.
Accoridng to NABU, the group was also involved in torture-for-hire, kidnappings, extorting millions of dollars, and other crimes.
After the revelations, SBU chief Oleksandr Poklad dismissed two senior officials implicated in the case and pledged "full support and assistance" with the investigations. The National Police said officers implicated in the case had been suspended.
The High Anti-Corruption Court on Nov. 5 placed Volodymyr Tsenov, deputy head of the National Police's Strategic Investigations Department, in custody for two months and set bail at Hr 15 million ($330,000).
According to anti-corruption agencies, Tsenov helped provide protection to scham call-centres in exchange for bribes.
Another suspect in the case, Vitalii Rybalka, was remanded in custody for two months without the right to bail. Investigators allege that Rybalka was involved in violent crimes carried out by the group, including torture.
Rybalka has denied the allegations.
On Nov. 4, NABU searched SBU officials' premises under a warrant issued by the High Anti-Corruption Court. The agency said a senior SBU official obstructed the searches and threatened to use a firearm, while SBU special forces also arrived at the scene.
Ukrainska Pravda media outlet reported on Nov. 4, citing its undisclosed sources, that the official was Major General Serhii Duka, the first deputy head of the SBU's Department for the Protection of National Statehood. Two other officials whose premises were reportedly searched were Colonel Anton Kravchenko, head of the SBU's Main Directorate of Internal Security, and Oleksandr Kovalchuk, Duka's deputy.
