Scheme supplying defective mines to AFU exposed at UAH 3bn
A scheme to supply the Armed Forces of Ukraine with low-quality mines and embezzle advance payments has been exposed in Ukraine. The cost of the losses is almost UAH 3 billion, the press services of the State Bureau of Investigation and the Prosecutor General's Office reported.
According to the investigation, a private company, whose name is not specified, concluded five state contracts with the Department of Military-Technical Policy of the Ministry of Defense, the Defense Procurement Agency, and the Logistics Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The contracts provided for the supply of anti-personnel and anti-tank mines. However, the company established a scheme to embezzle funds on low-quality products.
According to the investigation, the members of the criminal organization created a fictitious picture of the ability to manufacture and supply ammunition. To do this, they used a limited liability company that had never previously been involved in the production of mines, but had access to contracts from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine with multi-billion-dollar advances.
The company delivered some of the supplies, but in inadequate quality. Under other contracts, no supplies were made at all. The total amount of losses to the state, previously, amounted to UAH 2.994 billion. Of these, more than UAH 570 million was for unusable mines, and more than UAH 2.4 billion was for possible misappropriation of the advance payment.
In addition, the defendants organized the preparation of technical and design documentation for the PVP-50 and PVP-200 anti-personnel mines, as well as the MPT-23P2 anti-tank mines. These documents deliberately contained false information: they indicated fuses that could not actually be used with such products, they overestimated the actual weight of the explosive devices, and they provided for the use of explosives with an inappropriate chemical composition.
Law enforcement officers also identified an accomplice in the scheme – a company that equipped mines with low-quality explosives. Its accounts received UAH 120 million in advance, but the work was not completed by the specified date. At the same time, no claims were received against the supplier.
The fact of the unsuitability of the mines is confirmed, in particular, by the results of physico-chemical studies of the explosive, materials of inspections and tests, as well as the conclusion of a comprehensive forensic examination: the products did not comply with the technical conditions and purpose, there were failures to initiate the explosive, and an insufficient amount of explosive in the case was established.
It is noted that investigators are currently investigating the possible use of money from advances to purchase equipment unrelated to orders and its alienation in favor of another company.
Law enforcement officers reported suspicions to 10 persons involved in the scheme. Four of them were detained. Among the persons involved are representatives of a private supplier company, its management, accounting department, the head of a co-executing company, and officials of military missions. They were reported suspected under parts 1-3 of Art. 255 of the Criminal Code, part 4 of Art. 28 of the Criminal Code, part 5 of Art. 191 of the Criminal Code, part 4 of Art. 28 of the Criminal Code, part 3 of Art. 209 of the Criminal Code, part 2 of Art. 367 of the Criminal Code, part 4 of Art. 426 of the Criminal Code.
According to the UCP, a petition for preventive measures in the form of detention with the alternative of posting bail from 100 to 500 million UAH has been prepared for the detainees. The petition will soon be considered by the court.
Measures are currently underway to identify the full range of individuals involved in the criminal scheme.
Earlier, the Security Service of Ukraine and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau dismantled a large-scale scheme operating in two regions of the country. Criminals embezzled 102 million budget hryvnias from the production of dynamic protection for tanks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
We also reported that a former official of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and two employees of the State Enterprise "Ukrspetstorg" were suspected of involvement in a scheme for the illegal sale of decommissioned warships.
