Ternopil Official Suspected in Sleeping Bag Procurement Fraud

Ternopil region law enforcement officers reported suspicion to an employee of the Ternopil City Council for purchasing low-quality sleeping bags worth over UAH 12 million. In the first months of the war, the Ternopil City Council announced a tender for the purchase of 4,500 sleeping bags. The auction was won by a company that was created a few days before the announcement of the offer in the Prozorro system.

In October, the police already announced suspicions against the director of the Kyiv-based company Fast Factors LLC in embezzlement of public funds. During the investigation, law enforcement officers established that the entrepreneur had supplied Ternopil with sleeping bags whose real cost turned out to be three times cheaper.

Law enforcement officers also suspected that a civil servant of the Ternopil City Council was involved in the unjustified payment of more than 12 million 690 thousand UAH for sleeping bags. The official did not check the enterprise, which according to state registers the businessman created just 5 days before submitting the tender application. The employee also did not make sure that the sleeping bags had the appropriate quality certificates, which the businessman did not send at all in the package of documents required for submission for procurement. The official, despite the absence of all documents, signed the contract for the implementation of the tender.

"Money in the amount of 12 million 690 thousand UAH was transferred to an entrepreneur who, at the time of concluding the contract, was not engaged in any production and had no employees. The indictment against him was sent to court a few weeks ago," the Ternopil region prosecutor's office reported.

The prosecutor's office also noted that the Ternopil City Council was to purchase 4,500 sleeping bags to implement the "Program for the Protection of the Population and Territory of the Ternopil City Territorial Community from Emergencies of a Man-Made and Natural Nature for 2019-2022." These goods were to be brought to heating points in educational institutions in the city.

Law enforcement officers reported a Ternopil City Council official to be suspected of committing crimes under Part 5 of Article 191, Part 2 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (Establishment of someone else's property in especially large amounts, through abuse of official position, legalization (laundering) of income). The man faces up to 12 years in prison with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a term of up to 3 years and confiscation of property.

Earlier, counterintelligence of the Security Service of Ukraine together with NABU detectives exposed a large-scale corruption scheme in the Armed Forces of Ukraine . Two officials of the Logistics Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are suspected of abusing their official position during the procurement of aircraft spare parts.

In addition, EBK reported that the State Bureau of Investigation exposed a medical service colonel who helped his wife receive almost 1 million in combat pay while remaining in the rear.