On March 15, Friday, the High Anti-Corruption Court acquitted Oleksandr Liev, a former official of the Ministry of Defense, of the suspect in the case of embezzlement of almost UAH 1.5 billion for the purchase of shells for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This was reported by Lieva's lawyer Nazar Kulchytskyi.
The court changed Liev's preventive measure from detention to release. He was released on personal recognizance, and the decision was sent to the pretrial detention center. Currently, it is not known whether Liev is at home, as the resolution does not require his personal presence upon dismissal.
Earlier on February 12, the Appellate Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court sent Liev to custody until April 8. Another suspect in this case, director of the Lviv Arsenal Yuriy Zbitnev, was sent under house arrest by the VAKS.
In January, the Security Service of Ukraine reported on the exposure of officials of the Ministry of Defense and managers of the Lviv Arsenal, who, according to their version, stole almost 1.5 billion UAH for the purchase of shells. Liev, his successor Toomas Nakhkur, the head and commercial director of the Lviv Arsenal, as well as a representative of a foreign commercial structure, were charged with suspicion.
According to investigators, after the Ministry of Defense transferred UAH 1.34 billion in advance payments to the Lviv Arsenal in November 2022, the company sent the money to intermediaries. These funds were seized, and now the question of their return to the Ukrainian budget is being resolved.
Liev called the suspicion unfounded, and his detention an unfortunate misunderstanding. In February 2023, the High Anti-Corruption Court did not choose a preventive measure for him due to violation of the investigation.
In February 2023, Liev resigned of his own free will. It was previously reported that he has a Russian passport, but this information was later denied.
