The Appeals Chamber of the Excessive Anti-Corruption Court docket of Ukraine ordered the arrest of Oleksandr Liyev, former head of the Ministry of Protection's division in control of arms procurement, the Motion Heart Anti-Corruption stated on February 12.
Liyev was taken into custody within the courtroom and might be held in custody till April 8 except he posts bail, set at Hr 50 million ($1.3 million), the middle wrote on Telegram.
His case is expounded to a corruption scheme revealed by the SBU on January 27 that concerned the acquisition of almost 100,000 mortar shells, amounting to just about Hr 1.5 billion ($40 million).
The SBU stated the investigation had “uncovered the officers of the Ministry of Protection and the managers of the arms provider Lviv Arsenal, who stole virtually Hr 1.5 billion within the buy of shells.”
The people concerned within the embezzlement embrace former and present high-ranking officers from the Ministry of Protection, in addition to heads of related firms.
In accordance with the SBU, a shell contract was secured with Lviv Arsenal in August 2022, six months into the large-scale invasion. The fee was made prematurely, together with the switch of funds overseas. No weapons have been delivered, nonetheless, and a few funds have been subsequently transferred to different international accounts.
5 people have been charged, which included the ministry and the arms provider. A suspect was arrested whereas trying to cross the Ukrainian border.
If Liyev is launched on bail, he might be required to put on an digital bracelet and give up his worldwide passport, amongst different restrictive measures, the middle stated.
“The bail doesn’t correspond to my wage and revenue. I’m very shocked by the (court docket) determination,” Liyev stated in a video posted on Fb, calling it “a punishment for the duty” he took within the his place Ministry of Protection.
Liyev denies the fees and stated he’ll attraction to the European Court docket of Human Rights.
Additionally learn: The federal government agrees to hold out protection procurement by means of the Prozorro system
We work laborious to convey you impartial, domestically sourced information from Ukraine. Think about supporting the Impartial of Kiev.
