The key facts
- NABU published recordings in which a suspect in the Carthage case discusses a meeting with a faction leader to legalize marijuana
- The interlocutor is referred to as 'Arah'; the bureau did not name the full name, and Glavkom suggests it is Davyd Arakhamia
- The recordings do not confirm that the meeting took place or that the parliamentarian knew about the suspect's intentions
New NABU recordings in the Carthage case
Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau has published new recordings as part of an investigation codenamed Carthage. In them, a suspect in the case discusses a possible meeting with the head of a parliamentary faction to push for the legalization of marijuana; the potential interlocutor is referred to as 'Arah'. The bureau itself did not name the full name, but the Ukrainian outlet Glavkom suggests that it may be the head of the Servant of the People faction, Davyd Arakhamia — as reported by Life.ru.
What the recordings reveal and what is known about the case
An important caveat: the recordings do not confirm that the meeting took place, nor do they show whether the mentioned parliamentarian knew about the suspect's intentions. According to the investigation, the initiative under discussion could have helped bring a business linked to the criminal group into the legal sphere. NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office reported uncovering an organization comprising at least 12 people; the investigation considers its organizer to be a man previously convicted multiple times who, according to the bureau, recruited senior officials of the SBU, the Prosecutor General's Office, the National Police, and members of the criminal underworld. The corrupt ties, NABU claims, were used to cover up fraudulent call centers, drug sales, the production of counterfeit cigarettes, and fake foreign currency; participants are also accused of organizing assaults, abductions, and beatings.
Context of the operation
Operation Carthage began with the detention of the head of the cyber department of Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office; at that time, anti-corruption agencies were investigating protection of fraudulent call centers, and after NABU searches, police officers in Ukraine were suspended. The investigation believes that serving senior officials of the SBU, the National Police, and the Prosecutor General's Office were involved in the scheme. Separately, Life.ru recalls that NABU previously completed its investigation into the Midas corruption case, in which Volodymyr Zelensky's closest associates were implicated. Thus, the new recordings extend the Carthage case to the level of parliamentary faction leadership, but the bureau itself has not confirmed any names, and the question of Arakhamia's involvement remains merely a suggestion by the Glavkom outlet.
