The National Anti-Corruption Bureau is searching for former First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council Oleh Hladkovskyy, who is accused of abuses in the purchase of cars for the army.
This was reported by the NABU press service.
Hladkovskyy, together with the former Deputy Minister of Defence and the Director of the Ministry of Defence Department, is accused of organising the purchase of off-road trucks at illegally increased prices as part of the state defence procurement order. The amount of damage caused to the state is over UAH 17 million.
The NABU reminded that on 19 October 2019, the HACC arrested Hladkovskyy with an alternative of UAH 10.6 million bail. On 21 October, he was released on bail.
"In March 2022, the court revoked the bail in favour of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and changed the measure of restraint to a personal commitment. After that, the accused stopped appearing at court hearings, and according to the NABU and the SAPO, he went abroad. Consequently, he was put on the wanted list," the statement said.
The Hladkovskyy case
- Oleh Hladkovskyy is suspected of abuse of office and declaring false information (part 2 of Article 364, Article 366-1 of the Criminal Code).
- The investigation established that the former Deputy Minister of Defence, Director of the Department of Military and Technical Policy for the Development of Armaments and Military Equipment, in collusion with Hladkovskyy, organised the purchase of MAZ 6317 ('Bohdan 6317') trucks at inflated prices under the state defence procurement order in 2017. The vehicles were manufactured by a subsidiary of the Auto Assembly Plant No. 2, a member of the group of related companies of the Bohdan Corporation, whose shares in the authorised capital were owned both directly and indirectly by Hladkovskyy and his associates.
- At the stage of forming the defence procurement order, the government put forward a number of requirements. Among other things, it was about the level of localisation of car production, which had to be at least 60%. At that time, the vehicles in question did not meet these requirements, with a localisation rate of only 10%.
- As a result of lobbying efforts, the localisation requirement was reduced to 20%. Despite the fact that the manufacturing company did not meet this requirement either, it still received a government order - on condition that the localisation level would be increased to 20% by the end of 2017 and further increased to 30% within three years.
- However, as the investigation found, the manufacturer illegally transferred the relevant costs to increase the level of localisation to the budget of Ukraine.
- The contract between the Ministry of Defence and the manufacturing company provided for partial prepayment, the impossibility of price revision and the limitation of costing items specified in the contract. Contrary to these conditions, the price was increased and approved by MoD officials. As a result, the supplier was illegally overpaid UAH 17.44 million.
- In October 2019, Hladkovskyy was notified of suspicion of abuse of office. On 20 May 2020, the HACC Appeals Chamber refused to cancel the suspicion against Hladkovskyy. At the same time, it was reported that the term of the obligations imposed on him would expire on 5 June.
- On 3 June 2020, the NABU completed the pre-trial investigation against Hladkovskyy. The suspects were given access to the criminal proceedings for review before the indictment was sent to court.