The specialized anti-corruption prosecutor's office (SAP) and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) have announced the suspicion of former People's Deputy Maksym Mykytas and his accomplices in connection with the embezzlement of over 307 million hryvnias intended for the construction of arsenals for missiles and ammunition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
This scandal is expected to cause a wave of public indignation and become another heavy blow to the fight against corruption in the country.
According to the investigation, in 2018 the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine concluded contracts with companies controlled by Maksym Mykytas for the construction of secure warehouses for the storage of missiles and ammunition worth about 3 billion hryvnias until 2021. However, the task of Mykytas and his accomplices was not only to perform the work, but also to embezzle part of the funds.
The investigation established that in order to implement this criminal intent, changes were made to the Cabinet of Ministers' resolution, which allowed the transfer of an advance in the amount of 80% of the total value of the contracts, despite the legal restrictions that allowed the Ministry of Defense to pay an advance in the amount of only 30% of the annual volume of work. Thus, in the period from November to December 2018, more than 307 million hryvnias were transferred to the accounts of companies controlled by Maxim Mykytas.
However, despite the fact that the funds were transferred, the construction of the arsenals did not actually begin, and the allocated funds were transferred to the accounts of other companies also related to Mykytas.
This incident became another vivid example of corruption, which stands in Ukraine's way to a more transparent and efficient system of governance. It is important that the law enforcement agencies conduct a thorough investigation of this case and those who are guilty are brought to justice.
