Theft by drones: Krivonos assures that the President’s Office did not put pressure on NABU
8 August 14:42
Semen Kryvonos, director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, said that communication with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the case of corruption in the procurement of drones and electronic warfare systems took place only after the suspects were detained. He said this at a press conference, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Kryvonos reminded that the investigation involves several categories of suspects, including an MP, a military officer, and heads of military administrations. He also noted that the investigation is ongoing and the involvement of other people is being checked. Speaking about the contact with the head of state, the NABU head emphasized that he wanted to clarify the course of communication.
“First of all. I want to convey the message that this meeting took place after the exposure of this organized group. They were all detained, [they] were under our control, and only then did we communicate with the President of Ukraine,”
– explained the Bureau’s director.
Kryvonos emphasized that the investigation was conducted autonomously: no permission was asked from high-ranking officials, there was no interference in the course of action, and the defendants were not warned.
“Secondly. No one asked anyone for permission, no state official, no one interfered with the investigation and no one warned anyone before the detention. The communication took place after the detention,”
– he assured.
The Bureau’s director explained that the need to inform the president arose due to the specifics of the case – there were military personnel among the detainees, and the role of other representatives of military structures is being studied. Although there was no need to conduct searches in military units and at the military’s places of residence at first, this decision was made taking into account previous negative experience.
Kryvonos reminded that a few months ago, during another investigation, searches of high-ranking officials of the National Guard were the subject of information attacks. The media spread versions that those investigative actions were allegedly inspired by Russian influence. It was an investigation into the purchase of certain types of weapons and the acquisition of premises by the logistics forces.
“Then this situation was used, in particular, as a way to discredit the Bureau,” he said,
– he noted. That is why, according to Mr. Kryvonos, in the case of the current investigation concerning the military, it was decided to inform the president about the detention and the need to conduct searches.
“There was no influence on the independence of the investigation, no interference in the investigation,”
– summarized the NABU director.
Читайте нас у Telegram: головні новини коротко
Corruption scheme with FPV drones
The NABU and the SAPO exposed a scheme to embezzle funds during public procurement of FPV drones and electronic warfare equipment.
According to the investigation, one of the military units entered into a contract for almost UAH 10 million with a company that overstated the cost of the delivered products. The overpayment amounted to about 80 thousand dollars. After fulfilling the contract, the company’s representatives transferred part of the funds to the participants in the scheme as a kickback.
Among the suspects is the former head of the Luhansk regional military administration, Serhiy Haidai. The government approved his dismissal on August 2, immediately after the case was publicized. He was then arrested.
Also involved in the case is Oleksiy Kuznetsov, a Servant of the People MP from Luhansk region. He was temporarily suspended from the faction for the duration of the investigation. august 4. He was also arrested. The High Anti-Corruption Court imposed a pre-trial restraint on both of them – detention for 60 days with the possibility of bail (UAH 10 million for Gaidai, UAH 8 million for Kuznetsov).
Читайте нас у Telegram: головні новини коротко
