Defendants in the case of illegal procurement of drones detained

Three participants of drone procurement schemes served with suspicion notices

The Strategic Investigations Department of the National Police reported serving suspicion notices to three participants in drone procurement schemes for defence purposes. The suspects include Head of a civil society organisation and his/her assistant.
This is stated in the official report of the SDP.

According to the investigation, one of the participants in the scheme tried to to misappropriate UAH 1.4 million, which were intended for the purchase of drones for a military unit in the Kyiv region.

Details of the case

Law enforcement officers found that:

• The defendants created a scheme to artificially inflate the cost of drones;

• planned to purchase equipment for budgetary and charitable funds at a price significantly higher than the market price;

• They intended to misappropriate part of the funds received;

• The head of the CSO and his assistant coordinated financial and contractual transactions;

• Another participant was directly responsible for the transfer of equipment to the military unit.

The suspects were served with notices of suspicion under articles providing for liability for misappropriation of funds, abuse of office and fraud.

Context.

Schemes to procure drones for the defence sector have repeatedly come to the attention of law enforcement. Amid the war, the demand for UAVs has skyrocketed, leading to the emergence of a number of fraudulent groups trying to cash in on defence contracts.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Police claim to be tightening control over procurement for the military, especially when it comes to charitable and budget funds.