The supplier was notified of suspicion due to substandard ballistic goggles for the military worth UAH 154.8 million; the suspect is abroad, where he left after another entrepreneur was suspected of similar schemes, and both companies are controlled by the same person, Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko reported on social media, writes UNN.
Substandard ballistic goggles for the military worth UAH 154.8 million: suspicion to the supplier. The director of one of the private enterprises organized a scheme to seize budget funds by supplying the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine with ballistic goggles-masks of improper quality for the needs of the defense forces.
According to the Prosecutor General, to formally meet the procurement requirements, the company provided a certificate of conformity from a German manufacturer. This, he said, allowed it to conclude a state contract in April 2023 for the supply of 100,000 units of products.
The goods were delivered and accepted by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. The accompanying documentation, including regarding tests, met the requirements, the Prosecutor General noted.
"Later, according to operational data from customs, it turned out that the specified LLC imported only 2,000 such goggles from the official foreign manufacturer to Ukraine. The origin of the rest of the goods is currently unknown, but the entire batch was supplied under the guise of original German products. Comprehensive forensic examinations of selected samples confirmed non-compliance with quality requirements for protection against ballistic and mechanical fragments," Kravchenko reported.
During tests, the goggle-masks, according to his data, "were shot through," while the original products of the German manufacturer were supposed to withstand such an impact.
Military personnel use goggle-masks during combat operations to protect their eyes from fragments after explosions, dust, dirt, and small particles of metal or glass. That is, improper quality is, first and foremost, a direct threat to the life and health of our defenders, the Prosecutor General noted.
The director of the enterprise was notified of suspicion of misappropriation of property on an especially large scale under martial law; the amount of damages is UAH 154.8 million. The suspect is abroad. Measures are being taken to declare him wanted.
"I note that the person involved in this case left Ukraine immediately after the head of another commercial enterprise was notified of suspicion in January this year for similar supply schemes. Both companies are controlled by the same person. In the previous case, it was about the supply of more than 40,000 units of ballistic goggles and goggle-masks for almost UAH 60 million. The suspect has been declared internationally wanted. We continue to work," the Prosecutor General emphasized.