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When investigator Olena Kravets received an anonymous letter with a flash drive, she did not yet know that she would become part of the most high-profile anti-corruption investigation of the decade in a country ravaged by bloody war. Although the letter was anonymous, the detective decided to open it anyway.
The flash drive contained excerpts from audio recordings discussing kickbacks and the appointment of “their people” at the company. A male voice gives instructions: what amount should be transferred to whom — in dollars, euros, or cryptocurrency. But the investigator decided to first check all the facts and act independently.
Olena worked in the anti-corruption department of NAGNU and, recently, was literally “married” to her job — a year ago, Olena was going through a very difficult period in her life. After a divorce and a difficult court case with her ex-husband, Olena was left homeless with a small child in her arms. But the woman did not despair, because the things that calmed her and saved her mental health — her favorite job, shopping, and traveling — remained with her. So nothing prevented her from working while her son lived with his grandmother in Pechersk. Every day, his grandmother took him to kindergarten, and on weekends, to the dacha.
The first clue led her to a former supplier of energy equipment, who admitted off the record: "Yes, we all paid kickbacks. Otherwise, you'd be kicked out of the tenders. The amount was 10-15% of the contract."
While the SDAP was preparing the searches, Carlson disappeared. Cameras recorded him leaving for the airport and flying to Vienna a few hours before the raid. Olena realized that someone had warned the suspect. She listened to another hidden recording. On it, a person with the same familiar voice calls the minister after receiving a message from Carlson, but they only discuss the details of the meeting. “So, the influence reaches the highest offices,” thought the detective.
Olena passed the recordings on to her colleagues for detailed study. Subsequently, NAGNU announced that it had more than 1,000 hours of audio recordings at its disposal and began to officially release them. But skeptics attacked: “It's a montage,” “It's disinformation.” At the same time, European partners demanded transparency.
While analyzing financial flows, Olena came across a strange pattern: some of the funds from fictitious companies disappeared without a trace. One of the experts with whom the detective worked closely suggested that the corrupt funds could have been transferred to crypto wallets. This explained why the trail ended at the bank level. The audio recordings hinted at “digital legalization,” but there was still no conclusive evidence.
She found an accountant who confirmed that “Carlson” demanded part of the bribe in cryptocurrency to hide the movement and amounts. But without access to crypto wallets, the case was stalled.
The last letter in her mailbox contained a photo of a smiling Carlson in Geneva. The investigator was personally fascinated by the fact that these wallets were scattered around the world: Spain, Italy, the United States, Liechtenstein. This meant business trips. An opportunity not only to work, but also to travel a little.
Olena smiled. The hunt continued.
