On 5 November, the High Anti-Corruption Court remanded another suspect in the NABU and SAPO investigation in custody — Vitalii Rybalka.
This was reported by Transparency International Ukraine.
Rybalka (“Boxer”) is described as one of those who carried out the “dirty work” on the instructions of the scheme’s organiser, Andrii Osipov, who was exposed as part of Operation “Carthage”.
The court ordered “Boxer” to be held in custody until 2 January 2027, with no alternative of posting bail.
- On the same day, the court remanded in pre-trial detention Volodymyr Tsenov, First Deputy Head of the National Police’s Strategic Investigations Department Volodymyr Tsenov.
- The day before, NABU and SAPO published details of the exposure, as part of Operation “Carthage”, of a new criminal organisation. It included law enforcement officers and members of the criminal underworld, and specialised in facilitating the operation of illegal call centres and the distribution of drugs, as well as economic crimes.
- Oleksandr Abakumov, head of NABU’s detective department, said the criminal organisation had at least 12 members. Among them were: “Criminal” — the alleged founder and leader, a person with a criminal past and present. He has three convictions; “Mexican” — a Russian citizen, founder of “Khimprom”. He is wanted; “Boxer” and Pasha, subordinates of “Criminal”, who carried out the dirty work; “Price” — one of the heads of the National Police’s Strategic Investigations Department; “Consultant” — another police officer who, according to NABU, coordinated certain areas of illegal activity; “Akim” — a senior SBU official who provided protection from attention from colleagues.