Ukraine Dismisses Two Senior Security Officials as Probe Targets Bribe-Protected Scam Call Centres

Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) has dismissed two senior officials as anti-corruption investigators examine an alleged criminal network that bribed law enforcement officers to protect scam call centres and other illegal operations. SBU chief Oleksandr Poklad announced the dismissals on Wednesday evening. He did not name the officials but said the SBU was cooperating fully with investigators and expected a transparent, objective and impartial investigation.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office said the group paid bribes to senior officials so that scam call centres could operate without interference. The case, called Operation Carthage, is part of a wider crackdown on fraudulent call centres. Investigators say the network included at least 12 people, among them senior officials from the SBU, the Prosecutor General's Office and the National Police, along with individuals linked to organised crime.

According to investigators, the group's activities went beyond online fraud. They allegedly included drug trafficking, counterfeit cigarette production and currency forgery, as well as kidnappings and assaults. NABU said one court-authorised search met resistance when a senior SBU official threatened to use a firearm and blocked investigators from entering. Poklad said he was in contact with intelligence agencies in partner countries so that suspected crimes could also be investigated abroad.