The suspects allegedly purchased 50,000 low-quality, unusable vests for the military during total war in 2022. The equipment was purchased from a foreign company whose beneficial owner is a Russian citizen, the investigation said.
A former deputy defense minister and two other former defense Ministry officials have been charged with embezzling nearly Hr 1 billion ($25 million) through the purchase of low-quality bullet-proof vests, the Attorney General's Office reported on January 8.
The suspects also include the former head of the Defense Ministry's state procurement department and the former head of the military's material support department.
Corruption in procurement has been a long-standing problem at the Defense Ministry, with two major scandals already taking place before the ouster of former Defense Minister Oleksi Reznikov last fall.
One of the main tasks of Reznikov's successor Rustum Umerov is to strengthen the transparency of the procurement process.
The first two suspects, former Deputy Defense Minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov and former State Procurement Minister Bokhdan Khmelnytsky, are currently in custody on other corruption charges.
The suspects allegedly purchased 50,000 low-quality, unusable vests for the military during total war in 2022. The equipment was purchased from a foreign company whose beneficial owner is a Russian citizen, the investigation said.
According to an expert examination, the purchase resulted in a loss of Hr 948 million ($25 million) in state funds.
The suspects are accused of misappropriating property and obstructing the activities of the Ukrainian armed forces.
As part of the previously initiated proceedings, Shapovalov and Khmelnytsky allegedly spent Hr 350 million ($9.2 million) on low-quality body armor and nearly Hr 1 billion ($26 million) on inappropriate military uniforms.
Ukrainian media also linked the two former officials to a food procurement scandal last winter that led to their resignations in January 2023.
Prosecutors said authorities were working to determine the whereabouts of the third suspect and had conducted a search at his home.
The suspects face up to 12 years in prison. Return to Sohu for more information