Officials of the State Special Communications Service were exposed for embezzling 90 million hryvnias during drone procurement. The drones were purchased at prices 70-90% higher than market value, writes UNN with reference to the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.
... reported suspicion to two officials of the State Special Communications Service and two representatives of private companies involved in organizing and implementing a criminal scheme for embezzling funds during the procurement of drones for the Ukrainian Defense Forces. The actions of the individuals were qualified under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine
Details
It is noted that in 2023, after the adoption of amendments to the State Budget of Ukraine, the State Special Communications Service was allocated UAH 30 billion for the purchase of drones. Within the framework of the pre-trial investigation, it was established that the head of one of the departments of the State Special Communications Service had a plan to embezzle part of these funds.
Thus, according to the developed criminal plan, the supply of drones was to be carried out by pre-determined companies at inflated prices. To ensure the victory of the mentioned companies, controlled firms were involved in the tender, imitating competition, and distorted marketing research was provided
In addition, it was found that between May and September 2023, the State Special Communications Service purchased 400 DJI Mavic 3 drones and 1300 Autel Evo Max 4T drones at prices that exceeded market prices by 70-90%. The funds from the sale of these drones were transferred to the accounts of controlled companies.
It should be noted that such actions caused damages to the State Budget of Ukraine in the amount of over UAH 90 million. The pre-trial investigation in the case is ongoing, and other individuals possibly involved in the crime are being identified
Addition
In the case of the embezzlement of UAH 129 million allocated for the restoration of critical infrastructure in the Dnipropetrovsk region, new suspicions have been reported. According to the SAPO, the money was appropriated through fraudulent schemes during a tender for the reconstruction of a water pipeline in the Kamianske district.