More than a week before the State Bureau of Investigation announced suspicions of Lviv businessmen Ihor and Roman Hrynkevych of fraud involving UAH 1 billion, the Defense Ministry announced that it was terminating all contracts with companies associated with them. According to the military, this is an absolutely correct and logical step, UNN writes.
Details
Back on January 9, the Ministry of Defense decided to terminate contracts with companies associated with Lviv businessman Ihor Hrynkevych, who was detained by the State Bureau of Investigation while trying to give a bribe. This was announced during a press conference by Deputy Defense Minister Vitaliy Polovenko.
However, on the same day, the Defense Ministry clarified that one contract with the scandalous Hrynkevych family had not yet been terminated. It was an agreement on the supply of food to the military for the period from January 1 to April 1.
However, on January 17, the Defense Ministry decided to terminate the contract for the supply of products with the company of entrepreneur Ihor Hrynkevych, Trade Lines Retail. The agency also filed a petition with the State Bureau of Investigation to recognize the Defense Ministry as an injured party in the case against companies affiliated with Hrynkevych.
Myroslav Hai, an officer and deputy head of the Armed Forces Reserves Council, is convinced that this is an absolutely correct reaction from the Defense Ministry.
"The Ministry of Defense, as I understand it, is reacting to the scandal that has taken place. They have to react somehow. An investigation is underway to determine whether there were any abuses or not, but, in principle, this is the right reaction. The main thing in these circumstances is whether there are other companies that can quickly replace those supplies so that the Armed Forces can have uninterrupted supplies, etc. This is a logical and normal reaction of the Ministry of Defense to the scandal, to the facts that have come to light.
I believe that in a country that is striving for transparency in procurement and the fight against corruption, this is the right reaction. Even if these companies were not guilty, but such facts were revealed at the time of the investigation, I think it is right," said Gai in an exclusive commentary to UNN.
Context
On December 29, 2023, SBI officers detained a Lviv businessman while he was trying to bribe one of the heads of the SBI's Main Investigation Department. USD 500 thousand was offered for assistance in returning property seized from companies controlled by him during the investigation of criminal proceedings. Ihor Hrynkevych had the status of a suspect in the criminal proceedings on attempted bribery.
Already on December 30, the court imposed on him a preventive measure in the form of detention.
On January 17, SBI officers served suspicion on a Lviv businessman, one of the largest suppliers to the Ministry of Defense, and members of a criminal organization that caused almost a billion hryvnias in losses to the state budget of Ukraine. The Bureau exposed them on fraudulent purchases of clothing and underwear for the Armed Forces.
On the same day, it was announced that law enforcement was looking for Roman Hrynkevych, a suspect in the case of fraudulent clothing for the military worth 1 billion hryvnias, to choose a preventive measure.
The three suspects in the Hrynkevych case, related to the supply of low-quality military clothing to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, were sent to custody. As an alternative, the court determined the possibility of bail in excess of UAH 500 million for each of them.