2023-12-22 20:27:20
A senior Ukrainian Defense Ministry official has been arrested for embezzlement of some 36 million euros intended to purchase artillery shells, authorities said Friday, as the war-torn country faces a lack of ammunition.
According to the prosecution, this senior official whose identity has not been revealed is accused of having “organized a system of embezzlement of budget funds during public procurement” for an amount of 1.5 billion hryvnias. These embezzlements concerned the purchase of artillery shells for the armed forces at inflated prices, the authority said in a press release.
“The director of one of the main departments of the Ministry of Defense has been detained“, further indicated the prosecution, according to which searches by the security services at the accused’s home made it possible to”discover documents confirming illegal activities“.
Several corruption scandals – an endemic evil in Ukraine – have rocked Ukrainian officials in recent months, particularly within the army and the Ministry of Defense. Investigations have notably been opened into the supply of poor quality ammunition and bulletproof vests or the purchase of food products and uniforms for soldiers at inflated prices, as well as cybersecurity software.
At the beginning of August, all regional officials responsible for military recruitment were dismissed by President Volodymyr Zelensky, in order to uproot a system of corruption allowing conscripts to escape the army. The fight once morest corruption is one of the criteria set by the European Union for examining Ukraine’s candidacy.
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