There is no mention of a bribe paid to SBU General Duka in the “Carthage” case files, according to a former SAP prosecutor who criticized the CPC’s publication

Former prosecutor of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) Stanislav Bronevytskyi accused the Anti-Corruption Action Center (AntAC) of distorting information about an alleged bribe of approximately $3 million supposedly transferred to SBU General Serhii Duka.

Meanwhile, Deputy Head of the National Police Andrii Niebytov refuted claims made during Operation Carthage that the police had allegedly provided protection to the U420 store chain associated with the Khimprom group.

In his Telegram channel, Bronevytskyi drew attention to an AntAC publication in which activists, citing remarks by Oleksandr Abakumov, head of an NABU detectives unit, claimed that four cryptocurrency wallets had allegedly been transferred to SBU General Serhii Duka by Andrii Osipov, known as Criminal. Activists associated with NABU described the funds in those wallets as a bribe intended to secure the lifting of the seizure of Khimprom's assets through the Prosecutor General's Office. The former prosecutor called these statements by AntAC "outright lies and manipulation."

"No bribe was transferred to anyone, at least there is no record of this in the case materials. Abakumov did not say anything about it during his interview with Ukrainska Pravda's UP.Chat. Anyone can listen to the interview and verify this," Bronevytskyi wrote.

He also noted that following Criminal's arrest in July, the issue of lifting the asset seizure remained unresolved, which, in his view, rules out claims that a bribe had been paid.

The former prosecutor also drew attention to the legal classification of the charges. According to NABU's official statement of November 5 concerning the first deputy head of one of the SBU departments (Serhii Duka), the official is charged under Part 3 of Article 255 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — participation in a criminal organization using one's official position. Article 368, which covers accepting an offer or promise of, or receiving, an unlawful benefit (bribery), is not mentioned in the notice concerning this official.

Meanwhile, Deputy Head of the National Police and Chief of Criminal Police Andrii Niebytov criticized the information presented by NABU and SAPO regarding the U420 store chain and alleged police protection of its operations.

"From the NABU and SAPO videos, the public has taken away one message: that the National Police was involved in protecting drug trafficking. This is unacceptable," he said.

According to Niebytov, the recorded conversations concerning attempts to bribe representatives of the National Police and the prosecution service to keep U420 stores operating took place between September 2025 and April 2026. He said this was precisely the period when the police were documenting the group's activities. Niebytov maintains that the discussed plans to prevent the seizure of goods and help the network's employees avoid criminal charges were never implemented.

In April, the National Police and the Prosecutor General's Office shut down all 105 U420 stores. The authorities made the information public at the time.