Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has uncovered a corruption scheme involving two logistics command officers of the Armed Forces, according to a Nov. 20 report.
Investigators, working with the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and with support from Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and senior military leaders, found that the suspects signed contracts in 2022 and 2023 to purchase fighter jet spare parts at inflated prices.
The investigation revealed that the parts were supplied by a company linked to the officers. To secure the contracts, the suspects allegedly used multiple affiliated commercial entities, some registered abroad, to simulate a competitive bidding process.
The scheme is believed to have defrauded the state of Hr 27.3 million ($662,000), which was funneled through a network of shell companies. If convicted, the accused face up to six years in prison.
This is not the first investigation by NABU into high-profile corruption.
On July 16, then-Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin said that two prosecutors from the Prosecutor General's Office were under investigation for allegedly accepting a $170,000 bribe to close a criminal case. One of the prosecutors was charged and detained at their workplace following a probe by NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).
The Kyiv Independent news desk
(Updated: )
