The Prosecutor's Office and the State Bureau of Investigation have uncovered a large-scale scheme to embezzle budget funds for the supply of food to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The organized group included both businessmen and representatives of military units. According to preliminary estimates, the state suffered losses of at least 6 million hryvnias.
According to the investigation, the scheme was organized by the owner of two private companies that had state contracts with the Ministry of Defense. It was through these companies that food purchases were made, allegedly to supply military units and one of the educational institutions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The group operated according to a clear scheme:
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Expense invoices and acceptance certificates indicated a larger quantity of products than were actually delivered;
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Some food was not supplied at all;
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The acts were coordinated by four military personnel — food service workers in the units and the educational institution;
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All this allowed for the legal “appropriation” of budget funds that were supposed to be used to feed the army.
The criminal organization included:
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the organizer himself is a businessman and company owner;
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two directors of controlled companies;
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two employees of these companies;
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as well as four representatives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine responsible for receiving supplies.
All nine participants have been detained. Law enforcement officers are currently preparing suspicions and requests for preventive measures.
"This is an example of how, in the midst of war, unscrupulous businessmen use army contracts not to help the military, but for their own enrichment. The cynicism and scale of the fraud require a tough response from the state," the Prosecutor General's Office commented.
The investigation is ongoing. It is possible that the amount of damages will increase - documents and cash flow from several more contracts are being studied.
