A scheme for selling decommissioned military ships was uncovered in Kyiv
The Kyiv police, in cooperation with the Security Service of Ukraine, uncovered a scheme involving the illegal sale of six decommissioned Navy ships that were supposed to be scrapped.
According to the investigation, an official from the Ministry of Defence and two representatives of the state-owned enterprise Ukrspetstorg organised the sale of the ships to a specific commercial firm as scrap metal at an artificially low price. The state lost more than 900,000 hryvnias.
The main suspect, the head of the military property disposal department, used his access to documents to circumvent the rules for decommissioning. The ships, including the Fastiv, Yevpatoria and Borshchiv, were transferred to the lowest category and put up for a formal tender. The winner was determined in advance, and the value of the metal was reduced several times below market value.
Law enforcement officers established that two employees of the state-owned enterprise were involved in the scheme. The funds for the ships came through a commercial structure, which received significant benefits. The state, on the other hand, lost out on profits, and its property was effectively sold off for a song.
Under the procedural guidance of the Kyiv Specialised Prosecutor's Office for Defence, the suspects were charged with abuse of office, committed by prior conspiracy by a group of individuals, which led to serious consequences. The investigation is looking into other possible episodes.
