Court orders Yelyzaveta Ivakhnenko held in call center protection case
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Yelyzaveta Ivakhnenko was sent to custody (Photo: Suspilne)
Ukraine’s High Anti-Corruption Court ordered Yelyzaveta Ivakhnenko, a suspect known as “Muse” in the Carthage case, held for 60 days with the option of posting 20 million hryvnias ($485,000) bail on Sept. 7.
According to a journalist in the courtroom, the prosecutor requested bail of 50 million hryvnias. He read out recorded conversations in which Ivakhnenko was mentioned. In the recordings, the suspects discuss registering sole proprietorships, including one in the name of Yelyzaveta's mother, as well as transferring and depositing money into those accounts.
Ivakhnenko, however, denies the allegations. She says the released recordings were distorted and taken out of context. The suspect said she would provide a full explanation after reviewing the four volumes of case materials.
Anti-corruption agencies said that after the first searches by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, or NABU, suspects began deleting evidence of their lavish lifestyles from social media.
"I need to delete everything ... I have a Porsche, Loro Piana, Mimi, flowers, watches, bracelets, bags here. I need to delete everything," a woman referred to as "Muza" told an official at the Prosecutor General's Office.
The previous day, the High Anti-Corruption Court ordered Serhii Kropyva, deputy head of the International Cooperation Department at the Prosecutor General's Office and Muza's partner, held in custody until Nov. 2 with bail set at 120 million hryvnias. Kropyva is suspected of protecting illegal call centers and laundering more than 89 million hryvnias in assets. His lawyers said they would appeal the court's decision.
NABU's Operation Carthage
On Sept. 4, NABU announced a special operation targeting an alleged criminal organization headed by an employee of the Prosecutor General's Office. Citing sources, Ukrainska Pravda reported that NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, or SAPO, detained Serhii Kropyva, head of the Prosecutor General's Office cyber department. NABU and SAPO said the official may have been involved in protecting a network of fraudulent call centers and laundering assets.
The Prosecutor General's Office later said it was prepared to fully cooperate with anti-corruption agencies investigating the possible involvement of one of its employees in illegal activities linked to fraudulent call centers.
Citing sources, Ukrainska Pravda reported that NABU and SAPO conducted searches involving Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, his deputy Mariia Vdovychenko and Odesa regional Gov. Oleh Kiper.
NABU said five people had been implicated in proceedings under Article 255 of Ukraine's Criminal Code, covering the creation and leadership of a criminal organization and participation in one, and Article 209, covering money laundering. Those convicted face up to 15 years in prison.
On Sept. 5, the Prosecutor General's Office said that "at around midnight, NABU detectives nevertheless conducted investigative actions in offices used by the prosecutor general, the first deputy prosecutor general, as well as other employees and structural units of the Prosecutor General's Office."
The office also said the court order authorizing the searches contained no information indicating that Kravchenko had instructed anyone to facilitate the activities of call centers, obstructed efforts to uncover or investigate them, warned anyone about planned investigative actions, received money from such activities or accepted improper benefits, or used proceeds of crime to pay for renovations, security systems or other services. Kravchenko himself denied any involvement in the Carthage case.
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