Ukrainska Pravda: Court arrests ex-deputy defense minister, sets bail at $10.96 million

A court arrested Former Deputy Defense Minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov for 60 days, and set bail at Hr 402.6 million ($10.96 million), Ukrainska Pravda, a Ukrainian news outlet, reported citing an unnamed source.

Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) suspects Shapovalov of lobbying for contracts for food for the military at inflated prices. According to the report, he is also suspected of purchasing bulletproof vests, helmets, and clothing of poor quality for military needs for over Hr 1 billion ($27.2 million).

In January ZN.ua, a Ukrainian news outlet, published an investigative report that the armed forces tried to procure food at prices several times higher than in Kyiv grocery stores.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) started investigating the alleged scheme.

On Jan. 31, Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said that an audit of the army’s procurement process had been launched on June 29. Its initial results in December found that the procurement system was deficient.

However, when the ZN.ua article first broke, Reznikov responded defiantly, saying that whoever leaked the procurement documents committed a crime. Reznikov also denied wrongdoing.

Shapovalov was dismissed from the Defense Ministry on Jan. 24.

NABU opens case into alleged corruption in Defense Ministry procurement

The Kyiv Independent