KYIV (Reuters) – A Ukrainian court has ordered the detention of a former deputy defence minister suspected of corruption, the State Bureau of Investigation said on Thursday.
The SBI did not name the former official but said he was suspected of involvement in ministry purchases of food at inflated prices and low-quality equipment for the military, which is fighting Russia’s invasion.
The SBI statement follows the resignation of deputy defence minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov last month after a media report alleging that the defence ministry had purchased food at inflated prices.
Shapovalov and the ministry denied wrongdoing but he said he had resigned because doing so would help maintain public trust in the ministry. Shapovalov could not immediately be reached for comment on Thursday.
The SBI said the person detained would be held for two months unless he posted bail of around $11 million.
“The official not only knew about the supply of low-quality products but also exerted pressure on subordinates to accept low-quality products at military warehouses,” it said.
The SBI also said on Thursday that it had detained a “criminal group” it accused of embezzling state funds by selling overpriced eggs, and other foodstuffs, to defence officials.
The SBI statement coincides with a sweeping crackdown on corruption that gained momentum this week before a visit to Ukraine by senior European Union officials.
The EU has made cracking down on corruption a requirement for Ukraine joining the 27-member bloc.
(Reporting by Dan Peleschuk, editing by Timothy Heritage and Mark Heinrich)
