Ukraine Arrests Officials Over Expensive Drone Procurement Scandal
(MENAFN) Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies announced the arrest of several officials linked to a sprawling corruption network involving the overpriced procurement of military drones and electronic warfare gear.
The National Anti-Corruption Agency (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) confirmed in statements on Saturday that four individuals were detained as part of the investigation into inflated contracts for drones and electronic warfare equipment.
The suspects include a sitting lawmaker from Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada, two regional officials, and the commander of a National Guard unit.
According to official statements, the fraudulent scheme involved awarding state contracts to suppliers at deliberately inflated prices, with those involved allegedly receiving kickbacks of up to 30% of the contract values.
Following a meeting with NABU and SAP leadership, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared, "There is zero tolerance for corruption."
Davyd Arakhamia, parliamentary head of Zelenskyy’s Servant of the People party, stated on Telegram that lawmaker Oleksiy Kuznetsov’s membership in the party will be suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.
“We expect a court hearing of this case in due time. Those guilty of corruption crimes must be fairly punished, regardless of their status and position,” he emphasized.
Earlier this week, Zelenskyy signed legislation restoring the independence of NABU and SAP after widespread protests erupted over a controversial parliamentary decision on July 22 that placed the two agencies under the prosecutor general’s supervision.
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