Ukraine’s security service said it had uncovered corruption in the purchase of weapons by the military worth about $40 million, BBC reported on Sunday.
Five high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Defense and an arms supplier are under investigation.
This is a signed contract for 100,000 mortar shells in August 2022.
An advance payment was made on it, with some funds transferred abroad, but no weapons were ever provided.
Corruption is a major stumbling block in Ukraine’s bid to join the European Union, the British publication recalls.
Ukraine’s security service said an investigation “revealed” defense ministry officials and managers of arms supplier Lviv Arsenal “who stole nearly 1.5 billion hryvnias when purchasing ammunition.”
“According to the investigation, former and current high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Defense and executives of related companies were involved in the embezzlement,” the announcement said.
The figures show that while the shell contract was agreed six months after Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, “not a single artillery shell” has been sent.
One of the suspects was apprehended while trying to leave Ukraine and is currently in custody, the Security Service said.
Ukraine’s chief prosecutor said the stolen funds had been confiscated and would be returned to the defense budget.
The problems surrounding corruption have haunted Ukraine for years.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made fighting corruption one of his top priorities when he comes to power in 2019.
The latest accusations come as Republicans in the United States push back against President Joe Biden’s efforts to send more aid to Ukraine.
In August, President Zelenskiy fired all officials in charge of military recruitment to end a system in which some people were allowed to evade military service.
Ukraine was ranked 116th out of 180 countries in the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency Without Borders.
But anti-corruption efforts are beginning to matter. Ukraine is one of only 10 countries to steadily climb Transparency International’s rankings, rising 28 positions over a decade.
2024-01-28 06:41:17
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