In Ukraine, a large-scale scheme to seize grain from the State Food and Grain Corporation of Ukraine JSC was exposed. According to the investigation, the state lost more than 105 thousand tons of products worth $28.8 million, which at the time of the transaction amounted to about 776 million hryvnias. The grain was exported abroad and sold to foreign buyers.
This was reported by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office. According to their information, a group of people are involved in organizing the scheme, including the former chairman of the board of a state corporation, the former head of the trading department, the owner of a foreign company, a trusted person of a representative of this company, and another participant. Three of the defendants have already been detained, and the court is expected to impose preventive measures on them in the near future.
The investigation established that the scheme was in operation as early as 2021. The management of the State Agricultural Production and Processing Plant of Ukraine concluded four contracts with a foreign company for the supply of feed corn with a total volume of over 100 thousand tons. The terms of the contracts provided for full prepayment, but this requirement was actually circumvented.
Bills of lading, documents proving ownership of the cargo, played a key role in the transaction. The originals of these documents ended up with the buyer, which allowed him to unload the ships without paying, as well as dispose of the grain and resell it to third parties abroad.
At the same time, the state corporation was left with only copies of bills of lading with forged signatures and seals, which created the appearance of control over the goods. Actual payment for the delivered products did not arrive at the company's accounts.
According to law enforcement officials, the stolen grain was sold to companies in Iran, Turkey, and Egypt. The participants in the scheme transferred the funds received through a series of banking transactions, mixed them with legal income, and invested them in controlled enterprises, in particular through the purchase of raw materials and assets.
The suspects' actions are classified under several articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, including misappropriation of property in particularly large amounts, legalization of proceeds of crime, and forgery of documents. The maximum sanctions include up to 12 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property.
The investigation is ongoing.
