Lviv businessman Ihor Hrynkevych, who was detained on suspicion of attempted bribery, received a new suspicion in the pre-trial detention centre. First, UP wrote about it with reference to interlocutors in law enforcement agencies, and then it was officially confirmed by the State Bureau of Investigation.
The losses from the deal are estimated at almost a billion hryvnyas. The Bureau exposed Hrynkevych and members of the criminal organisation on the fraudulent procurement of clothing and underwear for the Armed Forces.
"It was established that the businessman created a criminal organisation to misappropriate budget funds. He entered into contracts with the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine for the supply of low-quality military clothing. In particular, the Lviv businessman's companies signed 23 contracts to supply the Ministry of Defence with clothing worth more than UAH 1.5 billion," the SBI said.
The defence contracts involved companies controlled by the businessman that were previously engaged in construction and did not have proper production, warehouse and other facilities for the manufacture and storage of material property for the needs of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence. According to the expert examinations, Ukraine suffered damage of over UAH 934 million.
Five members of the criminal organisation were served notices of suspicion of creating and participating in a criminal organisation and of seizing another's property by breach of trust (fraud) committed under martial law, on a particularly large scale, by a criminal organisation (Article 190(5), Article 255(1) and 255(1)(2) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The members of the criminal organisation were detained. The sanctions of the articles provide for punishment in the form of imprisonment for up to 12 years with confiscation of property.
The SBI investigators are establishing the full range of persons involved in the criminal offence, including checking information regarding officials of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence.