Seven to stand trial in Vinnytsia for embezzling UAH 4.3 million

Seven people will be tried in Vinnytsia Oblast for embezzling UAH 4.3 million during the purchase of military property. They inflated the price of army beds and concluded a contract without a competition.

According to the investigation, one of the entrepreneurs, who specializes in furniture production, decided to sell army bunk beds at artificially inflated prices. To do this, he involved two business acquaintances and employees of the Vinnytsia City Cabinet of Ministers.

In July 2023, an agreement was concluded between the Vinnytsia City Health Department and the newly created enterprise without an open tender. As a result, 2,000 army beds were purchased with state funds for a total amount of UAH 11.2 million. However, their market value was almost half that.

In 2024, law enforcement officers uncovered the scheme and arrested the suspects. They are currently being held in preventive custody and have had their property seized, the total value of which is estimated at UAH 50 million. The seized property includes apartments, a private house, land plots, vehicles, and corporate rights.

The suspects are accused of organizing embezzlement and aiding and abetting embezzlement of someone else's property through abuse of official position by an official, committed by an organized group (Parts 2, 3, 5 of Article 27, Part 3 of Article 15, Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

Earlier, SBI officers detained and reported three officers of one of the military units in the Donetsk region on suspicion of 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.

It was also recently reported that in the Odessa region, the State Bureau of Investigation reported suspicions against a military unit official, due to whose negligence more than 2 million UAH in payments to missing soldiers were misappropriated .