Ukraine prepares corruption fees in a high -profile case World news

Dan Pelshuk

Kyiv, – Ukrainian authorities accused five suspects on Wednesday of involvement in a scandal in military procurement, which ignited public anger at the beginning of a full -scale invasion of Russia and forced the Ministry of Defense to carry out rapid wart reforms.

Kyiv seeks to prove that it is serious about the fight against corruption, as it aims to join the European Union and carry out other international partnerships that it considers critical to its future security.

The authorities suspect that five people, including the former head of the Ministry of Defense, inflating prices, ordering food for troops and stealing the equivalent of more than $ 17 million between August to December 2022.

“The crime was facilitated by an official of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, who” did not notice “the anomalies of the catalog during the signing of contracts,” the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine said.

It said that five were issued “reports of suspicion”, which could lead to an official indictment on charges of stealing, suspicion of waste and money laundering.

Some products, such as beets, cabbage and potatoes, have been provided by two suppliers at prices approximately three times their market value, the Anti -Corruption Bureau reports.

The agency has stated that some of the funds disclosed is probably used to purchase real estate abroad, including hotels in Croatia.

The expected plot first attracted the attention of the public in January 2023, less than a year of war with Russia, after the Ukrainian media -investigation found that the Ministry of Defense overpayed food brackets, including eggs.

The announcement provoked a public protest and prompted the Ministry to repair its procurement practices.

In his statement, NABU stated that the investigation report allegedly prompted unnamed criminals to reduce some prices by saving the state about $ 19 million.

The agency has stated that the investigation is continuing and trying to identify other potential suspects.

“I am sincerely glad that NABU has finally brought to its logical conclusion, which seemed to be a monumental long-term project,”-wrote journalist Yuri Nikolov, author of the investigative report on Facebook. “Better late than never.”

This article was created from an automated channel of information agencies without modifications to the text.