Rédaction Africa Links 24 with sabcnews.com
Published on 2024-01-28 08:39:17
Ukraine’s SBU security service has recently uncovered a major corruption scheme within the country’s military, amounting to approximately $40 million, in the purchase of arms. This revelation, confirmed by Ukraine’s Defence Ministry, is particularly impactful given the ongoing invasion by Russia.
The fight against widespread corruption remains a significant challenge for Ukraine, especially as it seeks to gain entry into the European Union. The SBU’s investigation revealed that officials of the Ministry of Defence and personnel of arms supplier Lviv Arsenal had embezzled nearly 1.5 billion hryvnias during the procurement of mortar shells.
It was discovered that a contract for 100,000 mortar shells was signed with Lviv Arsenal in August 2022, just six months into the conflict, with payment made in advance, and some funds were transferred abroad. Shockingly, no arms were ever delivered, and some of the funds were later moved to foreign accounts.
Additionally, the SBU has identified five individuals from both the Ministry and the arms supplier as suspects in the embezzlement case. One suspect was apprehended while attempting to cross the Ukrainian border.
This incident is highly sensitive in Ukraine, given its ongoing conflict and the country’s aspirations to join the European Union. Despite the dismissal of Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov in September over corruption allegations, the issue of corruption within the military persists. While Reznikov was not directly involved in corrupt activities, several cases emerged during his tenure, including the inadequate supply of food and clothing to military personnel.
The uncovering of this corruption scheme is yet another obstacle for Ukraine in its quest for stability and integrity, particularly as it navigates its relationship with Western allies and ambitions to become a member of the EU.
