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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
The High Anti-Corruption Court began considering a motion to choose a preventive measure for the former first deputy head of the SBU Department for the Protection of National Statehood, Serhiy Duka, who is implicated in the high-profile "Carthage" case.
(Updated 14:55). Prosecutor of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office Mykola Karas came out to speak to journalists and said he saw no grounds to bar journalists from the High Anti-Corruption Court chamber where a preventive measure for former Major General Serhiy Duka is being chosen. According to the prosecutor, the hearing is open, and the question of holding it in a closed session was not considered. "We have an open court hearing. [...] There is enough space in the chamber, so I see no obstacles. The question of whether the hearing is open or closed was not examined," Karas said. He added that he was surprised by the situation restricting media access to the courtroom. At the time of the comment, the VAKS investigating judge had gone to the deliberation room to consider the motion to disqualify the prosecutor. https://t.me/RBC_ua_news/211196 At the same time, journalists were not allowed into the chamber where the hearing in open mode is taking place. Instead, the hearing was broadcast on screens in the neighboring room. Media representatives were not informed in advance about this format. https://t.me/RBC_ua_news/211191 Arrest and suspicion of Duka in the "Carthage" case 4 November 2026, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) detained Major General Serhiy Duka as part of the large-scale anti-corruption operation "Carthage." This concerns a special operation to expose a criminal organization that for years operated under the cover of certain Ukrainian law enforcement officers. From the tapes released by NABU, it follows that the scheme covered more than fifty fraudulent call centers, drug trafficking, the production of counterfeit currency, kidnappings and torture of people (beatings with metal pipes, hammers). Among other things, the participants discussed an acid attack on journalist Denys Bihus due to his newsroom's investigation into U-420 narcoshops. In addition, members of the group cooperated with the Russian FSB. According to NABU, the criminal organization was covered by officials from the SBU, the National Police, and the Office of the Prosecutor General. The group included at least 12 people, 5 indictments were announced. Among them: "Kryminal" (Andriy Osipov) - he was detained back in the summer on suspicion of extorting 1 million dollars from Russian national Oleksandr Kuznetsov in exchange for resolving the issue of his non-extradition from Ukraine to Russia. "Mexican" (Yehor Burkin) - a fugitive Russian, founder and leader of the transnational drug cartel "Khimprom." "Boxer" (Vitaliy Rybalka) and "Pasha" - subordinates of "Kryminal" who carried out violent and other assignments related to "dirty work." ("Boxer" 5 November the High Anti-Corruption Court sent him to pre-trial detention without the right to bail). "Price" (Volodymyr Tsenov) - a police officer, one of the leaders of the Strategic Investigations Department of the National Police. According to NABU, he was responsible for covering up the call centers' activities (5 November the High Anti-Corruption Court placed him in custody with the possibility of posting bail of 15 million hryvnias, which was posted the next day). "Consultant" - another police officer who was responsible for security and coordinated certain directions of the illegal activity. Serhiy Duka, as media learned, is mentioned on the tapes as "Akim." According to the investigation, he provided protection for the group from the attention of his colleagues at the Security Service. Head of the NABU detectives unit Oleksandr Abakumov told Ukrainska Pravda that during the search at the then-first deputy head of the SBU Department for the Protection of National Statehood, Serhiy Duka threatened detectives with a pistol and destroyed equipment with a hammer. According to him, SBU special unit "Alpha" operatives also tried to evacuate the general.
After the exposure and detention, SBU leadership dismissed Serhiy Duka from his position.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item ""Акім" з плівок "Карфаген": суд обирає запобіжний захід генералу СБУ Дуці". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: RBC-Ukraine.
