Editor's note: This item was updated after the Prosecutor General's Office announced the second arrest.
The Kyiv Pechersk District court ruled to arrest two defendants implicated in a defense procurement corruption scandal involving Lviv businessman Ihor Hrynkevych, said Nadiia Maksymets, the spokesperson for the Prosecutor General's Office, in a comment for Ukrinform on Jan. 18.
The suspects were detained with an alternative of Hr 500 million ($13 million) bail.
By sending the defendants to custody, the court conceded to the request of the Prosecutor's Office. One of the men in question is Andrii Kolotilo, Ukrainian Pravda reported, citing a law enforcement source. The court arrested him until March 16.
Earlier the same day, the prosecution asked the court to order an arrest with the possibility of bail for three people involved in the case, namely two heads of companies and an intermediary, Maksymets told Ukrinform. The other two suspects implicated in the case are Ihor Hrynkevych and his son, Roman.
The State Bureau of Investigation announced on Jan. 18 that Roman Hrynkevych was declared wanted and is currently in hiding.
Ihor Hrynkevych used to be one of the leading suppliers for the Defense Ministry, winning 23 tenders with his companies. According to authorities, he failed to complete the contracts and caused the ministry financial damage of Hr 1.2 billion ($31.6 million).
The goods Hrynkevych's companies supplied were allegedly of low quality and inappropriate for the Ukrainian Armed Forces to use. He faces up to eight years in prison if convicted.
Ihor Hrynkevych was arrested on Dec. 30, 2023, while allegedly attempting to bribe a top official in the bureau in exchange for the return of his property confiscated during criminal proceedings.
The Defense Ministry announced on Jan. 17 that it had terminated the last contract with the businessman's companies.
Since the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion, Ukraine's Defense Ministry has been involved in several corruption scandals.
The most notorious were related to the former Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, one regarding inflated prices for food supplies and the other connected to low-quality winter jackets.
Martin Fornusek
