The State Bureau of Investigation has announced new charges in the case concerning the procurement of protective equipment for the Armed Forces of Ukraine
The State Bureau of Investigations has uncovered evidence of corruption in a scheme to supply personal protective equipment to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
As part of the criminal proceedings, a former deputy head of the Main Directorate of Material Resources at the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine has been notified of the charges against him. According to the investigation, he used his influence to assist Lviv-based entrepreneurs in securing contracts with the Ministry of Defence and received unlawful benefits in return.
Investigators established that in March and April 2022, the businessmen transferred 150,000 hryvnias to the accounts of individuals linked to the official. Also, at the end of that year, one of the businessmen paid for his stay at a health resort in Truskavets, costing almost 290,000 hryvnias.
The former official’s actions have been classified under parts one and two of Article 369-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine regarding the receipt of unlawful benefits for influencing the decision-making of persons authorised to perform state functions. Suspicions have also been raised against entrepreneurs who, according to the investigation, provided the unlawful benefit.
The State Bureau of Investigation noted that these incidents form part of a large-scale investigation into the misappropriation of Ministry of Defence funds during the procurement of equipment for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Earlier, the bureau completed a pre-trial investigation into a Lviv businessman and members of an organisation he established, who are suspected of supplying substandard military clothing to the army.
According to the investigation, companies under their control signed contracts with the Ministry of Defence worth over 1.8 billion hryvnias. Expert examinations established that the products supplied did not meet technical requirements and were unsuitable for their intended use. The amount of losses, which, according to the investigation, were caused to the state, exceeds 1 billion 167 million hryvnias.
The indictment against the organiser of the scheme and other defendants is already before the court. The Office of the Prosecutor General is overseeing the proceedings in the case.
