Former head of state company suspected of laundering almost UAH 400 million from Ukroboronprom

This became known from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) of Ukraine via Facebook, as reported by Ukrinform.

The suspect previously headed an organization with state powers to act as an intermediary in international trade transactions involving the import and export of military equipment and special services.

French law enforcement agencies have transferred the case materials to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and SAPO as part of international cooperation.

The investigation revealed that the former director was involved in money laundering through fictitious agency agreements for the sale of Ukrainian military equipment. These agreements were concluded with shell companies with no intention of fulfilling the stated conditions.

The scheme involved more than $46 million in transactions, of which over $13.6 million was transferred through various transit companies directly to the suspect's personal accounts.

Using these illegally obtained funds, the individual purchased luxury real estate in France, including a villa worth UAH 86 million, a winery, corporate assets and 105 land plots worth UAH 229 million, as well as 27 vineyards worth UAH 37 million. All these assets were frozen by a French court.

The former official was charged under the following articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine: Part 5 of Article 191 (embezzlement or misappropriation of someone else's property using official position, committed on an especially large scale), Part 1 of Article 366 (forgery by an official), and Part 3 of Article 209 (money laundering on an especially large scale).

The suspect is currently hiding from law enforcement agencies and has been formally charged in absentia under Articles 135 and 278 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. The investigation is ongoing.