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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
The head of the First Main Division of Detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, Oleksandr Abakumov, stated that behind the "Khimprom" drug cartel stands not just a corruption scheme but a real mafia system in which organized crime receives state protection. The detective made the statement about the "Carthage" case after publishing video from the second stage of the operation. According to him, what the investigation has shown is only the tip of the iceberg, and the darkest parts of the materials remain hidden from the public.
In his Facebook post, Abakumov detailed why he considers the organization around "Khimprom" to be a mafia rather than an ordinary case of corruption.
"When a criminal knows that for money they can buy a law enforcement officer’s protection, they stop fearing the law. When a law enforcement officer realizes that their powers can be turned into a source of illegal enrichment, they stop serving the state. And when those two find common ground, something far more dangerous than an ordinary corruption scheme arises. A mafia emerges. Not the romanticized mafia from the movies, with its made-up codes of honor and stylish suits. But the real, ugly system in which organized crime receives state protection and corrupt state representatives get money and influence from criminals," Abakumov said.
The detective reminded that at the second stage of the operation, the investigation notified the first five participants of the new criminal organization of suspicion, and that, according to NABU, at least 12 people were involved. According to him, the materials show how a cover system for dozens of fraudulent call centers could have operated and how representatives of the criminal world and law enforcement interacted.
"Corruption is when a person can be kidnapped, beaten, tortured, and those who should be looking for the criminals help them avoid responsibility," Abakumov noted.
The detective emphasized that corruption in this case is not about money or abstract abuses of power, but about impunity, which breeds permissiveness and ultimately turns into violence. He compared the fight against corruption to chemotherapy, which cannot be done halfway or postponed to a "more convenient time."
Why the investigation considers the cover system large-scale
According to Abakumov, the existence of such a corrupt system requires not one person in a high office but tens and hundreds of people, each performing their function: someone organizes a call center, someone works as an operator, someone sells drugs, someone provides cover, and someone passes on information about upcoming searches. The detective stressed that the "Carthage" operation is ongoing and that NABU intends to see it through, since the bureau’s goal is to eradicate systemic corruption as a phenomenon and deprive organized crime of the ability to buy state protection.
Earlier, Informator reported that after the materials about "Khimprom" were published, Member of Parliament Yaroslav Zhelezniak spoke about the Verkhovna Rada’s plans for the week, noting that despite the scandal around the SBU, deputies did not include summoning law enforcement or considering reforms on the agenda.
We also wrote about expressions of gratitude from the head of the Office of the President, Kyrylo Budanov, to a person linked to "Khimprom," and the questions this story so far leaves unanswered.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Україною править мафія - Абакумов з НАБУ натякнув, що справи набагато гірше, ніж просто наркокартель Хімпром". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Informator.
