kyiv, Ukraine — Employees of a Ukrainian arms company conspired with Defense Ministry officials to embezzle nearly $40 million intended to buy 100,000 mortar shells for the war with Russia, Ukraine’s security service said.
The SBU said on Saturday night that five people had been charged and one detained while trying to cross the border into Ukraine.
If convicted, they face up to 12 years in prison.
The investigation comes as kyiv attempts to clamp down on corruption in a bid to accelerate its membership in the European Union and NATO.
Officials from both blocs have demanded widespread anti-corruption reforms before kyiv can join them.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was elected on an anti-corruption platform in 2019, long before the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Five people have been charged with conspiracy and one was detained at the border. AP Individuals from the Ukrainian arms company conspired with Defense Ministry officials to embezzle $40 million intended for mortar shells. AP
Both the president and his aides have presented the recent dismissals of senior officials, particularly that of Ivan Bakanov, former head of the State Security Service, in July 2022, as evidence of their efforts to root out corruption.
Security officials say the current investigation dates back to August 2022, when officials signed a contract for artillery shells worth 1.5 billion hryvnias ($39.6 million) with arms company Lviv Arsenal.
After receiving payment, the company’s employees were required to transfer the funds to a company registered abroad, which would then deliver the ammunition to Ukraine.
Ivan Bakanov, former head of the State Security Service, was fired in 2022, which Zolonskey cites as evidence of his commitment to fighting corruption. AP
However, the goods were never delivered and the money was sent to various accounts in Ukraine and the Balkans, investigators said.
Ukraine’s prosecutor general says the funds have since been seized and will be returned to the country’s defense budget.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn