In Khmelnytskyi region, the State Bureau of Investigation uncovered a scheme to embezzle funds when purchasing bread for the National Guard

Law enforcement officers have uncovered a new scam involving the embezzlement of budget funds intended to support the military. In the Khmelnytskyi region, an official of a military unit, together with representatives of a private enterprise, organized fictitious purchases of bread for the National Guard of Ukraine.

Employees of the State Bureau of Investigation, with the support of the Department of Internal Security of the National Police, uncovered offenses related to the supply of food to the military. It was revealed that within the framework of this scheme, there was embezzlement of budget funds allocated for the purchase of bread for the National Guard in the Khmelnytskyi region.

The investigation established that the deputy commander of the military unit, as well as the director, economist and manager of a private company from Ternopil, with which an agreement was signed to supply bread to the military, were involved in the criminal activity.

According to information from law enforcement officers, the participants in the scheme agreed on fictitious volumes of production and purchases of goods using state money. The documents indicated significantly overstated volumes of supplies in contrast to those that actually arrived at the military unit. This allowed the perpetrators to appropriate part of the state funds.

All operations were formally documented with relevant acts and accounting documents, which created the appearance of legality. However, the actual supplies of bread did not correspond to the declared volumes.

According to the investigation, the scheme operated for eight months – from February to October 2022. During this time, the state treasury suffered losses of approximately 1.5 million hryvnias.

Measures are currently underway to compensate for the losses caused. As part of the criminal proceedings, the suspects’ property with a total value of about 10 million hryvnias was seized.

Four participants in this scheme are suspected of embezzlement of property through abuse of official authority and official forgery committed by a group of persons in prior conspiracy. The Criminal Code of Ukraine provides for imprisonment for a term of up to eight years for such crimes.

The procedural management in this case is carried out by the Khmelnytskyi Specialized Prosecutor’s Office in the Field of Defense of the Western Region, the pre-trial investigation is ongoing.

It was previously reported that the SBU and the National Police detained officials who demanded $10,000 for assistance in the unhindered alienation of property in the Volyn region. Law enforcement officers documented the transfer of one of the tranches and detained the suspects while receiving a bribe. They are currently under suspicion, and the investigation is ongoing.

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