Kyiv uncovers scheme to sell decommissioned navy ships: who was served with suspicion notices
10 December 15:26
The Kyiv Police, together with the Security Service of Ukraine, exposed a scheme in which decommissioned ships of the Ukrainian Navy were sold as scrap metal at a significantly reduced price. According to the investigation, the illegal actions of the officials caused losses to the state of more than UAH 900 thousand.
This was reported by the National Police, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
How the scheme worked
According to the investigation, an official of the Ministry of Defense and two employees of the state enterprise Ukrspetstorg were involved in the fraud. The ships, including the Fastiv, Yevpatoriya, Borshchiv and other vessels written off due to their unsuitable technical condition, were supposed to be recycled. Instead, they were artificially transferred to the lowest category of property, which allowed them to be put up for sale as scrap metal.
Law enforcement officers note that the key suspect, using access to documentation and write-off procedures, created conditions for the vessels to be purchased by a predetermined commercial structure. In particular, a formal tender was organized and the value of the metal was underestimated several times compared to the market price.
Why was this possible?
The investigation believes that the MoD official who headed the property utilization department acted in prior conspiracy with representatives of the state-owned enterprise. It was they who provided the valuation that allowed the buyer to receive “significant economic benefits.” At the same time, the state, according to investigators, lost hundreds of thousands of hryvnias.
Suspicions and further investigation
The three defendants were served a notice of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – abuse of office committed by a group of persons that caused grave consequences. The investigation is under the supervision of the Kyiv Specialized Defense Prosecutor’s Office.
