Kirovohrad Deputy Charged with Embezzling ₴11M in Military Uniform Fraud

A deputy of the city council in Kirovohrad region will be tried for supplying low-quality clothing to the military. He and his accomplices planned to embezzle more than UAH 11 million from defense procurement.

This was reported by the press service of the State Bureau of Investigation.

SBI officers, together with the SID of the National Police, completed a pre-trial investigation against a deputy of the Kirovohrad City Council and his accomplices who organized a scheme to purchase low-quality clothing for the military.

The indictment has been submitted to court.

According to the investigation, the deputy, who also owned and operated a private enterprise, learned about a tender for the purchase of military uniforms for the military from Kherson region and decided to use the situation to his advantage.

He involved an acquaintance in the scheme, appointing him director of the controlled company and the company's accountant. The accomplices purchased cheap, uncertified clothing that only resembled military uniforms but did not meet the standards of the Ministry of Defense.

As a result of the supply of low-quality equipment, the state suffered losses of more than UAH 11 million. The offenders also planned to embezzle almost 10 million more, but law enforcement stopped the scam in time.

All three suspects are currently in custody. They are accused of:

• embezzlement of public funds through abuse of office,
• forgery of official documents,
• committing a crime by an organized group (Part 5 of Article 191, Part 2 of Article 15, Part 3 of Article 28, Part 1 of Article 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

The property of the suspects was seized in the amount of UAH 25 million to compensate for the damage caused.

The offenders face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.

The investigation is being coordinated by the Specialized Defense Prosecutor's Office of the Southern Region.

Earlier it was reported that the director of the Department for Civil Protection and Defense of Kherson Regional State Administration was also involved in the case, as it was through his tender procedures that the low-quality military uniforms were purchased.

Also, a former division commander of a military unit in the Kherson sector systematically demanded bribes from his subordinates. The military were forced to give him not only money, but also to provide various services, buy household and computer equipment, as well as goods for children. The total amount of illegal extortion he received is estimated at at least one million hryvnias.

Meanwhile, the Kherson City Court resumed consideration of the criminal case against Roman Pidperyhora, a member of the city council and former head of the finance department. The proceedings, opened in 2017, were frozen for four years. The deputy was detained while handing over a bribe, and the investigation found that he demanded a monthly "tribute" of $1,000 for "peace of mind" for affiliated entrepreneurs.

Анна Бальчінос