NABU Uncovers UAH 231M Corruption at Cancer Institute

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office have exposed six individuals in the creation of a criminal organization that made money from purchasing medical equipment for cancer patients at the National Cancer Institute. This was reported by the press services of the bodies.

According to media reports, this concerns the de facto head of the largest group of companies involved in the sale of medical equipment, Herman Fistal (he is considered the organizer), and the former acting director of the Cancer Institute, deputy of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council, Andriy Shipko.

Under the procedural guidance of the SAPO prosecutor, NABU detectives reported suspicion to six participants in a criminal scheme that included representatives of private structures and the National Cancer Institute. Its implementation during the purchase of medical equipment for cancer patients caused losses of over UAH 231 million. Currently, suspicion has been reported to: the de facto head of the largest group of business entities specializing in the sale of medical equipment in Ukraine; two representatives of private companies controlled by the organizer; the acting director, who is currently a deputy of the regional council, and two officials of the NIR. Their actions were qualified as crimes under parts 1–3 of Article 255, part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine

According to the investigation, the de facto head of the largest group of medical equipment suppliers (over 300 company representatives) created a criminal organization, which included representatives of controlled companies and officials of the NIR.

The scheme involved several stages to ensure non-competitive victory of controlled companies in public procurement of medical equipment for the NIR. In order to seize as much money as possible for the sale of medical equipment, its cost was artificially increased by 50% of the initial price due to the activities of the criminal organization: foreign companies affiliated with the organizer of the scheme were introduced into the supply chain, the completeness of the equipment was changed, etc. This is confirmed by a number of evidence collected by law enforcement agencies from 12 countries around the world, which were involved in the investigation within the framework of international cooperation.

During 2021-2022, during the procurement of medical equipment within the framework of the project "Creation of a modern clinical base for the treatment of oncological diseases in the NIR", the participants in the transaction seized funds worth over UAH 231 million.

Earlier, in Cherkasy region, the SSU detained the secretary of MMC while accepting a bribe. The head of the military medical commission is also among the suspects.

In addition, we reported that the secretary of the MMC in Kropyvnytskyi is suspected of bribery.