The former head of the Department of Military-Technical Policy, Development of Arms and Military Equipment of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Oleksandr Liev, said that the case against him would be a "good" lesson for all officials of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine who take risks when buying weapons to supply them to Ukraine. He said this after the court hearing, during which he was arrested for two months with the possibility of paying UAH 50 million bail, reports UNN correspondent.
"The supply of weapons (to Ukraine - ed.) is significantly decreasing, and everything that is happening now will be a very 'good' lesson for all those who make decisions in difficult circumstances. You should know that no one will look at the circumstances when making a decision. You have to know that when you buy ammunition from Bulgaria, which does not sell it to Ukraine, when you buy ammunition from Croatia, from Bosnia, from Azerbaijan, from other countries that do not sell it to Ukraine, and when you circumvent all these sanctions to bring weapons to Ukraine: if something goes wrong, you will be arrested for it and you will be in a pre-trial detention center," Liev said, adding that after his case, officials will think it is better not to sign anything at all.
According to him, he took every precaution in the contract with Lviv Arsenal and in all other contracts he signed as best he could. In particular, Liev emphasized that he demanded an inspection at the manufacturing plant by a military attaché, who carried it out and reported it in writing. Before signing an additional agreement on financial obligations, he also demanded that Sevoteh, the company that was supposed to supply ammunition to Ukraine under a contract with Lviv Arsenal, obtain an export license. In addition, on his initiative, the contract included penalties for breach of contract or non-fulfillment, including UAH 13 million for each day of delay. And the commercial court confirmed the legality of the contract between the Ministry of Defense and Lviv Arsenal, satisfying all the claims of the Ministry of Defense against Lviv Arsenal.
"I believe that this experience (the court's decision to arrest him - ed.) is a punishment for the responsibility I took on myself, I don't know if other officials will now take this responsibility if they are judged for taking risks," Liev said.
At the same time, according to him, the contractor who took the money and was supposed to ensure the supply of ammunition to Ukraine, the director of Lviv Arsenal LLC, Yuriy Zbitnev, is under house arrest and has launched a large media campaign to discredit Liev. He added that Zbitnev was supposed to officially receive 3% of the contract amount from the implementation of the contract with the Ministry of Defense.
Liev also emphasized that he did not violate any law when signing the contract with Lviv Arsenal and that he did not know what went wrong with the supplier and why the contract was never fulfilled.
He also noted that he considers the decision of the HACCU Appeals Chamber, which took him into custody with the possibility of posting UAH 50 million bail, to be unlawful. Liev emphasized that he has every reason to apply to the European Court of Human Rights. However, since the lawsuit will be directed to the state, he has doubts whether he wants to sue Ukraine at such a difficult time for the country. "Again, applying to the ECHR implies suing the state of Ukraine. How can I sue the state of Ukraine in such circumstances? I need to think whether I am ready for that," Liev said.
He added that he had been subjected to seven searches, provided an unlocked phone to investigators and took a polygraph, which indicates his willingness to cooperate with the investigation.
"I did not know Zbitnev, I did not know Khoroshayev. I swear to the Ukrainian people with everything that I have valuable, my most valuable, I did not contaminate this contract in any way, either with money or with attempts to make this contract unfulfilled. I did everything to ensure that Ukraine received weapons. I organized the fulfillment of more than 400 contracts," Liev said.
He added that for the contracts where something went wrong, he organized claims and lawsuits to recover the money.
Liev also noted that he is ready to undergo a polygraph again, adding that he believes the investigation is biased and influenced from the outside.
Liev emphasized that the bail of UAH 50 million is not commensurate with his salary and he does not have such funds. He noted that he was shocked by the court's decision and did not even have time to say goodbye to his 2-year-old son.
Recall
On January 27, the Security Service of Ukraine detained Oleksandr Liev in the case of signing a contract between the Ministry of Defense and Lviv Arsenal for the supply of ammunition. At the time, Liev claimed that he was detained unlawfully. A few days later, on January 30, the High Anti-Corruption Court rejected the prosecution's motion and refused to impose any preventive measure on Liev. Prosecutors appealed this decision. Later, it became known that the Prosecutor General's Office had transferred the case of signing the contract with Lviv Arsenal to the NABU.