Ukraine's Prosecutor General denies links to illegal call centers
Ukraine's Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko has again denied allegations of receiving money from illegal call centers, explaining leaked recordings about a new house, his wife's US visa and a photo of a safe. He insists all family expenses were legal and matched his declared income.
Ukraine's Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko has once again rejected accusations of involvement in receiving and legalizing money obtained through fraudulent call centers, commenting on leaked conversations that anti-corruption bodies say implicate him.
Kravchenko said the recordings are "just conversations" and that a published photo of a safe containing cash has nothing to do with him or the prosecutor's office — according to his lawyers, it is a photo from an unrelated criminal case.
Explanations on family spending
The Prosecutor General stated that all expenses related to his family's travel and everyday needs were made strictly within the law and based on his declared income, without any violations. Regarding his wife's US visa and a possible laptop purchase, Kravchenko said she prepared the documents and obtained the visa herself, and that she does not have a new laptop.
As for the 280-square-meter house where his family currently lives, he said they chose it back in winter, but it required renovation and equipment installation — which is the context in which work by contractors, an alarm system and household appliances were discussed. The family moved into the house on 1 May, and his official place of residence will be registered in accordance with the law.
Background
On 6 September, a prosecutor from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office told a court that the deputy head of the Prosecutor General's Office international cooperation department, accused of shielding fraudulent call centers, coordinated renovation work at Kravchenko's house in Kozyn. The same official reportedly helped arrange the US visa for Kravchenko's wife and organized the Prosecutor General's birthday celebration in Madrid.
On 4 September, it emerged that Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office were conducting searches involving Kravchenko, his deputy, and the head of the Odesa regional administration. On 5 September, authorities announced the exposure of a criminal organization whose members are suspected of systematically taking bribes from fraudulent call centers.
