On 7 September, the High Anti-Corruption Court remanded Yelizaveta Ivakhnenko in custody; she is referred to by the pseudonym «Musa» in the investigation files of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) in the «Carthage» case. The court set bail at 20 million hryvnias as an alternative to detention. Ivakhnenko is a suspect in this case.
Briefly about the main points
- The court ordered that Ivakhnenko be remanded in custody, with the option of bail.
- The amount of the deposit is 20 million UAH.
- The SAP requested that the amount be set at 50 million UAH.
- In the NABU documents, the suspect is referred to as «Musa».
- A pre-trial measure was also imposed on Serhiy Kropiva in connection with the case.
The court granted the prosecutor’s application in part
Prosecutors from the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office requested that Ivakhnenko detention with an alternative bail of 50 million hryvnias. The High Anti-Corruption Court partially granted this application, setting a lower amount.
Once bail has been paid, the suspect is released from custody; however, she must comply with the procedural obligations laid down by the court. The specific list of such obligations must be set out in the High Anti-Corruption Court’s ruling.
The hearing began the day before; Ivakhnenko is referred to as «Muse»
The hearing on the interim measure began on 6 September, but the proceedings were adjourned until Monday morning. The court announced its decision the following day.
In the documents published NABU, Ivakhnenko goes by the code name «Musa». According to media reports, she is his partner Serhiy Kropivy — another individual implicated in Operation «Carthage» and an official from the Office of the Prosecutor General.
The investigation’s version of events in the «Carthage» case»
The NABU and the SAP have announced that they have uncovered a suspected criminal organisation. According to the investigation, its members received unlawful benefits in return for not interfering with the activities of fraudulent call centres. The police believe that the organiser is one of the heads of a department within the Office of the Prosecutor General.
The investigation alleges that the funds obtained may have been laundered through the purchase of property, jewellery and expensive personal effects, the transfer of assets to third parties, and the deposit of money into relatives’ accounts under the guise of business income. According to data published by the NABU and the SAP, the assets linked to these transactions exceed 42 million hryvnias.
A preventive measure has already been imposed on Kropiva in this case
The day before, the High Anti-Corruption Court imposed a pre-trial measure on Serhiy Kropiva: detention in custody with the option of bail set at 120 million hryvnias. The prosecution had requested that bail be set at 200 million hryvnias.
The NABU and the SAP have reported that five individuals are being linked by the investigation to the alleged organisation; the investigation is ongoing. Ivakhnenko is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court verdict.
