Ukraine's Prosecutor General unveils major special operation: 70 searches, 30 suspects in US$3.73 million military embezzlement – photos

The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine has announced a large-scale special operation aimed at uncovering criminals who embezzled over UAH 138 million (US£3.73 million) allocated for military needs. Law enforcement officers have already conducted 70 searches and have served 30 officials across Ukraine with notices of suspicion. Source: Prosecutor General's Office on Telegram

Quote from the Prosecutor General's Office: "A large-scale special operation has been carried out to uncover the organisers and participants of criminal schemes involving the embezzlement of budget funds allocated to meet the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The total amount of damage to the state is over UAH 138 million. Officials from housing maintenance units, in cooperation with representatives of commercial entities, have been found involved in the embezzlement of funds in almost all oblasts of Ukraine."

Details: It is also reported that some officials have been caught for negligence in their military duties and for illicit enrichment.

"Following the investigative actions, 30 individuals have been detained and charged, with 15 of them being part of organised criminal groups.

The suspects include three heads of housing maintenance departments in Kharkiv and Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts, as well as seven heads of housing maintenance sections in the cities of Kropyvnytskyi, Chernihiv and Lviv, the Prykarpattia region (Ivano-Frankivsk region) and Zhytomyr, Volyn and Luhansk oblasts. Additionally, representatives of commercial entities are among those implicated," the Office of the Prosecutor General emphasised.

Details:These officials are being accused of embezzlement and misappropriation of funds through inflated pricing during the procurement of fuel wood for defence needs, electricity, natural gas, furniture for the army, and construction work on military infrastructure, among other things.

One of the suspects, a regional housing maintenance department head, is accused of illegally acquiring assets worth UAH 11.7 million (US£285,366). These assets include commercial property, land plots, and other assets and belongings, which the suspect had registered in the name of a trusted individual.

"During the investigation, law enforcement officials have carried out over 70 searches at the offices of regional housing maintenance units and various businesses throughout Ukraine.

The authorities are currently determining the appropriate preventive measures for the suspects.

The investigation is still ongoing," the Office of the Prosecutor General summarised.

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