Military Garrison Official Ran Corruption Scheme on Budget Funds

In the Chernihiv region, police exposed participants in a scheme of systematic appropriation of budget funds for the purchase of material assets for military units at inflated prices.

The criminal group included the head of the housing and operational department (KED) of one of the military garrisons in the Chernihiv region and his subordinate, as well as a civilian businessman. The losses to the defense sector from the illegal actions of the accomplices exceeded 3 million hryvnias.

It was established that the head of the garrison's housing and operational department, acting together with a subordinate, organized a scheme to obtain illegal profits for personal enrichment. The essence of the criminal scheme was to appropriate budget funds for the procurement of solid fuel (firewood) for the needs of the garrison.

The investigation established that during 2022, officials, in prior collusion with a controlled individual entrepreneur, abusing their official position, concluded 3 direct contracts for the supply of firewood for heating military units at prices that were more than twice the average market price. As a result of a series of consecutive purchases of fuel at inflated prices, the total losses caused to the defense sector of Ukraine amounted to more than 3 million hryvnias.

Police investigators informed both officials of suspicion of committing embezzlement of another's property through abuse of official position by an official, committed repeatedly, by prior conspiracy by a group of persons, under martial law, on an especially large scale (Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

A 60-year-old civilian businessman was suspected of aiding and abetting the above-mentioned embezzlement of someone else's property (Part 5 of Article 27, Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

We also previously wrote that seven people will be tried in Vinnytsia Region for embezzling 4.3 million UAH during the purchase of military property . They inflated the price of army beds and concluded a contract without a competition.

In addition, SBI officers detained and reported three officers of one of the military units in the Donetsk region who were stealing fuel . The commander of the material support battalion, his deputy, and the battalion headquarters officer indicated in the documents inflated figures for the military unit's use of fuel and lubricants.