Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies exposed a corruption scheme involving procurement of military equipment just two days after the parliament reinstated their independence following mass protests and pressure from Brussels.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SABO) discovered a “large-scale corruption scheme” that exploited budget funds allocated for defense forces, the agencies said in a statement on Saturday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the scheme “absolutely immoral,” in a Telegram post. Those involved “were exposed for taking bribes,” he said.
The NABU and the SABO said the scheme included a serving member of parliament, regional officials, the head of a unit of the National Guard’s military unit and a director of a company supplying drones. None of them were named in the statement.
The corruption involved purchasing equipment at knowingly inflated prices for which the participants illegally received 30 percent of the contract amount, according to the agencies. A similar approach was used in FPV drone procurement, the agencies said.
The revelation by the anti-corruption agencies comes after the Ukrainian leadership attempted to subject the oversight of the bodies to the politically appointed prosecutor general of Ukraine. Zelenskyy signed a bill into law on Thursday that restored independence to the agencies.
“There can only be zero tolerance for corruption, clear teamwork to expose corruption, and ultimately a fair sentence,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram on Saturday. “It is important that anti-corruption institutions work independently, and the law adopted on Thursday guarantees them all the opportunities for a real fight against corruption,” he said.
He called called for full and fair accountability.
“We are counting on fair verdicts,” Zelenskyy said in an official statement late Saturday. He said only combat officers will hold leadership positions in all logistics units of the National Guard.
Zelenskyy reinstated the independence of the NABU and the SAPO after domestic protests and a warning from European Commission that Ukraine’s EU bid was put at risk.
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