Control over the effective and targeted use of budget funds allocated to the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine remains one of the key areas of work of the State Bureau of Investigation under martial law. The department emphasizes that such inspections are designed to prevent unjustified expenses and preserve resources for the real provision of military personnel.
It was within this direction that SBI employees exposed large-scale abuses during the procurement of beds for the army in Odessa.
According to the investigation, starting in 2023, two heads of the Odessa Housing and Operations Department, while in office, purchased property for the military at significantly inflated prices. As a result, the state overpaid almost 18 million hryvnias in budget funds.
Investigators found that officials failed to properly verify the economic feasibility of the cost of goods and effectively ignored their official duties. As a result, funds that were supposed to be used to meet the needs of military units were spent inefficiently.
The officials were informed of suspicion of negligent attitude towards military service, which caused significant damage, committed under martial law (Part 4, Article 425 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
One of the defendants has already been sentenced to a preventive measure in the form of detention with the possibility of posting bail in the amount of 17 million hryvnias. The sanction of the article provides for up to eight years of imprisonment.
The Odesa Specialized Prosecutor's Office for Defense of the Southern Region is conducting procedural management in the case. The investigation is ongoing.
