Kyiv Independent — Ukraine's anti-corruption bodies on April 2 announced charges in a corruption case involving overpriced food purchases by the Defense Ministry between 2022 and 2023.
A former department head at the Defense Ministry, an owner of supplier companies, two heads of supplier companies, and one more individual were charged by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) with embezzling Hr 733 million ($17.7 million) and attempting to embezzle Hr 788 million ($19 million).
The corruption case was first reported by the ZN.UA outlet in January 2023 and sparked a major scandal within the ministry as it unveiled purchases of food commodities, such as eggs, at greatly inflated prices.
Posted by External-Noise-4832
1 Comment
**Submission Statement**
NABU, began exposing corruption among Zelensky’s top officials.
In 2023, activists claimed that Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, under Zelensky, embezzled hundreds of millions of dollars in procurement for eggs and other food supplies for the army.
However, the Ukrainian government, the president’s office, and Defense Minister [Reznikov](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oleksii_Reznikov) dismissed these claims as lies!
Reznikov then “responded to all accusations and explained why, according to him, there were no inflated prices for military food supplies.”
He called the media scandal over allegedly overpriced food for the army a “fabricated information attack under a false pretext.”
Reznikov insisted that all accusations were unfounded, pointing out supposed inaccuracies and mistakes made by journalists in their reports.
Additionally, he claimed that leaking such documents to journalists was a criminal offense.
Today, NABU uncovered the theft of over $17.7 million USD and an attempt to embezzle $19 million USD more.
In 2022-2023, suppliers manipulated prices in a catalog of 409 items. While popular products (vegetables, grains, meat) made up only 10% of the assortment, their prices were artificially inflated. Meanwhile, rarely used or seasonal goods had their prices lowered.
After media exposure of eggs being purchased at 17 UAH per piece, the scheme’s accomplices lowered the prices of 11 key food items, preventing the theft of another $19 million USD in budget funds.
The investigation is ongoing, and suspects have already been charged.