The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NACB) suspects First Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Taras Vysotskyi of abuse during the procurement of humanitarian aid.
The NACB press center announced this, Ukrainian News Agency reports.
On August 24, the NACB and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SACPO) exposed abuses worth UAH 62.5 million in the procurement of food to meet the needs of the state during martial law.
The food was intended as humanitarian aid for the Donetsk, Kherson, Sumy, Zaporizhzhya, Kyiv, Khmelnytskyi, Dnipropetrovsk and Poltava Regions and the city of Kyiv.
As established during the pre-trial investigation, in March 2022 Vysotskyi implemented a scheme that provided for the procurement for the needs of regional military administrations at the expense of the Ukrzaliznytsia JSC of products from a controlled company at prices 2-3 times higher than market prices.
The overpricing was due to the procurement of products from a foreign manufacturer (Poland) through a controlled intermediary company.
As a result of the implementation of this scheme from March to August 2022, the Ukrzaliznytsia JSC suffered losses in the amount of UAH 28.8 million (including VAT).
Besides, during the same period, with the participation of the deputy minister, food for the needs of the state was purchased at inflated prices from another controlled company, which through a controlled intermediary company also bought products from a foreign manufacturer (Turkiye) at market prices.
As in the first episode, the price increase occurred at the stage of selling products by one controlled company to another.
Deputy Minister of Economy Oleksandr Hryban was also involved in the scheme to ensure the procurement of products.
He, in particular, hid data on the presence of more favorable offers from other market participants, including Ukrainian manufacturers, and also inclined the Regional Military Administration officials to illegally approve applications and invoices for the procurement of products from a controlled company.
Due to the scheme from March to August 2022, the Ukrzaliznytsia JSC suffered losses in the amount of UAH 33.7 million.
After receiving payment, the money was withdrawn to a foreign company with signs of fictitiousness for further legalization.
The officials were informed of the suspicion under Part 2 of Art. 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The issue of choosing a preventive measure to the suspects is being decided. Pre-trial investigation is ongoing, other possible participants in the crime are being established.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, the NACB conducted searches at Vysotskyi, Hryban and adviser to Deputy Chairman of the President’s Office Andrii Yermak.
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