Detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and prosecutors of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, together with the Security Service of Ukraine, reported suspicion to six individuals in the case of embezzlement of over 10 million hryvnias during the procurement of services for the modernization of the hardware and software complex of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine.
According to the NABU press service, the suspects include the former State Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, the current head and deputy head of the ministry's departments, as well as the beneficial owner and two managers of a limited liability company.
According to the investigation, the beneficiary LLC developed a scheme by which officials of the Ministry of Justice initiated changes to the budget for 2021, which allowed for the necessary purchase. The company's managers prepared a technical specification with narrow requirements for equipment in order to eliminate potential competitors.
To justify the inflated price, the participating companies exchanged commercial offers that confirmed the required price level. Another company participated in the bidding with a less advantageous offer to create the appearance of competition.
Following the tender, the Ministry of Justice concluded a contract with a previously determined LLC. The services provided were overpriced, and the state budget suffered losses of over UAH 10 million.
The actions of the suspects were qualified under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine ("Embezzlement, embezzlement of property or its acquisition by abuse of official position"). In addition, the head of one of the departments of the Ministry of Justice was charged with illegal handling of weapons (Part 1 of Article 263 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The investigation is ongoing, investigators are establishing all the circumstances and other possible participants in the scheme.
