KYIV (Reuters) – A Ukrainian former deputy defence minister and another ministry official have been served with “notices of suspicion” accusing them of wrongdoing over contracts for food purchases for the army, the state anti-corruption agency said on Friday.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) said in a statement that their actions had resulted in losses to the state of almost 12 million hryvnias ($328,000). It did not name the suspects or say how they had responded to the accusations.
The cases relate to defence ministry tenders in 2020 for the following year’s food purchases for the military.
The NABU statement said the tenders had deliberately excluded requirements to transport and replenish supplies in a timely manner.
“As a result, the state incurred almost 12 million hryvnias in losses,” it said.
“In addition, the actions of the suspects led to a decrease in the combat readiness and defence capability of Ukraine’s Armed Forces and created a potential threat to Ukraine’s national security foundations during a special period,”
The cases are not related to media accusations earlier this year that the defence ministry was overspending on food. The ministry denied the accusations.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been trying to get tough on corruption even while Russia is waging war on Ukraine.
The European Union has made addressing corruption a requirement for Ukraine joining the 27-member bloc, a process that usually takes several years.
(Reporting by Olena Harmash, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
