Ex-deputy minister to be tried for unlaunched E-social system worth UAH 23.7 million

A former deputy minister of social policy will be tried for a 23.7 million UAH contract for the "E-social" system, which was never launched, the Prosecutor General's Office reported, writes UNN.

Prosecutors of the Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office have sent an indictment to the court against a former deputy minister of social policy, who currently works as an advisor to the Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine.

The former deputy minister was notified of suspicion in November 2025. He is accused of official negligence that caused grave consequences (Part 2 of Article 367 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, as amended before 01.07.2020).

In November 2025, sources reported to UNN that it was Mykola Shambir, who was dismissed from the post of Deputy Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine in September 2019.

The essence of the case

It was established that in 2018, the ministry and a consortium of four companies concluded an agreement for the creation of the "E-social" software – a unified system for information on social payments, benefits, and subsidies.

In 2018-2019, the developer was paid almost 23.7 million UAH. "However, the software product did not meet the requirements of the legislation, was unfinished, and the system was never put into operation," the prosecutor's office stated.

In 2021, the agreement was terminated. In 2024, the conclusion of the State Audit Service of Ukraine confirmed that the agreement was concluded with violations that should have been the basis for rejecting the consortium's proposal at the tender stage.

A forensic economic examination established damages to the state in the amount of almost 23.7 million UAH. The funds for the program were provided by the World Bank within the framework of the project to modernize the social support system for the population of Ukraine. Ukraine must return these funds with interest.