The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) announced that they have brought charges against six people, including a deputy and former head of the Luhansk regional state administration, for participating in a scheme to embezzle funds in the purchase of drones and jamming equipment for the army, Ukrinform reported, BTA reported.
One of the violations found was in the purchase of electronic warfare systems, the SAP statement published on "Telegram" says. The members of the group intentionally inflated the prices in the contract in order to receive illegal benefits of up to 30%. A similar case occurred with the procurement of FPV drones (unmanned aerial vehicles with "first-person" control). The price of the equipment under the contract was $240,000 and was intentionally inflated by about $80,000, the SAP statement said.
The military equipment was locally produced. Charges have also been brought against the head of a city military administration, the commander of a National Guard unit, and the director and owner of a drone manufacturing company. The identities of none of the suspects have been disclosed.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has praised anti-corruption authorities for their work on the case. Zelensky sparked a scandal last month after signing a short-lived law that limited the powers of anti-corruption authorities, Reuters recalls.