Employees of the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) of Ukraine announced suspicions against Ihor Hrynkevich, a major supplier of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, and other members of the criminal group, who, according to them, caused losses to the state budget of almost one billion hryvnias.
Although the SBI report does not name Hrynkevich, the circumstances of the case point to his involvement. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine previously conducted an audit of contracts with companies that may be related to this businessman, and determined that these companies did not fulfill 23 contracts for the supply of goods to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
According to the SBI report, the person involved created a criminal organization for the illegal appropriation of budget funds, concluding contracts for the supply of low-quality military clothing to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. It is also observed that enterprises that were not previously engaged in production for defense needs were involved in the fulfillment of orders, as a result of which the state incurred losses of more than 934 million hryvnias.
The SBI notes that the circumstances of the case suggest corruption and abuse of power. Members of the criminal organization have been detained, and the question of choosing a preventive measure in the form of detention is being considered.
SBI investigators are also actively studying the possible involvement of other officials of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine in this criminal offense. The case could have serious implications for defense procurement and require a review of the contracting system to prevent similar cases in the future.
