Defense Ministry official caught embezzling budget funds for APC repairs

The Security Service of Ukraine and the National Police have exposed a Defence Ministry official who embezzled budget funds for the repair of armored personnel carriers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This is stated in a statement by the SSU.

"Military counterintelligence of the Security Service and the National Police, with the assistance of the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, exposed the perpetrators who embezzled state funds intended for the repair of armored vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In just one of the documented episodes, the amount of stolen appropriations amounted to UAH 5.4 million," the report said.

According to the case materials, the head of the quality control group of one of the military representative offices of the Ministry of Defence in the western region of Ukraine was involved in organizing the transaction.

According to the SBU, he involved the head of a local company in the scheme, which received an order to repair armored personnel carriers. Under the agreement, the contractors undertook to restore the combat capability of the APCs for further performance of tasks at the front.

"According to the case materials, the military official was supposed to check the technical condition of the repaired equipment. However, he turned a blind eye to the fact that the contractors carried out only "superficial cosmetic" work, and the armored vehicles remained unsuitable for combat use," the report noted.

The SBU emphasized that despite the shortcomings, the official signed the act of completed work, which became the basis for the accrual of budget funds to the contractors' balance. A forensic examination initiated by law enforcement officers confirmed the faulty technical condition of the armored personnel carriers.

The Ministry of Defence official is now suspected of committing a crime under Part 4 of Article 425 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (negligent attitude towards military service committed under martial law).

The issue of additional qualification of his crimes under Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (embezzlement, embezzlement of property or taking possession of it through abuse of official position) and holding all participants in the transaction accountable is being resolved.

The perpetrators face up to 8 years in prison.