Counterintelligence of the Security Service of Ukraine together with the Bureau of Economic Security and with the participation of the management of Ukroboronprom exposed new episodes of appropriation of budget funds in the amount of UAH 36 million, which were allocated for the purchase of spare parts for combat aircraft of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
We are talking about a criminal scheme that law enforcement officers eliminated in December 2023 at one of Ukraine's defense enterprises. This is stated in the press service of the SBU.
At that time, the ex-director of the plant was exposed for embezzling at least 4 million UAH during the purchase of modules for radar systems for Ukrainian fighter jets.
So far, the law enforcement officers have documented an additional 32 million hryvnias, which the suspect and his accomplices took "into the shadows".
Thus, the total amount of damages caused to the state is more than UAH 36 million.
According to the case materials, the scheme consisted in accepting on the company's balance sheet known defective parts that were supplied to the plant by "their" companies. At the same time, the funds paid for these defective parts were then transferred to cash and distributed among the participants of the "scheme".
Currently, the ex-director of the state-owned enterprise (in absentia), his former deputy, six managers of controlled companies and two more of their accomplices have been notified (in accordance with the crimes committed) of suspicion under the following articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
- ch. 2, 3 Art. 255 (creation, management of a criminal community or criminal organization, as well as participation in it);
- Part 4 of Art. 28, Part 5 of Art. 191 (appropriation, embezzlement of property or possession of it by abuse of official position in particularly large amounts, committed by a criminal organization);
- Part 4 of Art. 28, Part 1 of Art. 366 (official forgery of official documents, introduction of knowingly false information to official documents, committed by a criminal organization);
- Part 4 of Art. 28, Part 3 of Art. 209 (legalization (laundering) of property obtained by criminal means in particularly large amounts, committed by a criminal organization).
Perpetrators face up to 13 years in prison with confiscation of property.
The former head of a state-owned enterprise is hiding from justice outside of Ukraine. Comprehensive measures are underway to bring him to justice for the crimes committed.
The investigation was conducted under the procedural guidance of the Prosecutor General's Office.
