The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine served an MP with a notice of suspicion in a corruption case involving “Ukrzaliznytsia”

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) have announced suspicions against a sitting MP, the leader of an organized group accused of embezzling funds from “Ukrzaliznytsia” during cable procurement.

This was stated by the press service of NABU.

The MP’s name is not mentioned in the press release, but according to journalists, it concerns Viktor Bondar, an independent MP and former head of the parliamentary group “For the Future”.

According to the investigation, the suspect and his accomplice, an entrepreneur, devised a scheme to supply products to “Ukrzaliznytsia” at inflated prices. They conspired with members of another organized group, which included an official from “Ukrzaliznytsia”. Acting as a “back office” for the MP and his partner, members of the second group ensured, for a percentage of the contract amount, that companies controlled by the entrepreneur won procurement tenders.

As a result, in 2021-2022, the entrepreneur’s controlled companies unlawfully won tenders for supplying cable and wire products to “Ukrzaliznytsia”. Consequently, “Ukrzaliznytsia” signed contracts with these companies, which supplied products at prices higher than market value.

This scheme caused “Ukrzaliznytsia” losses exceeding 140 million hryvnias (€3.23 million).

The MP’s actions have been classified under Part 3 of Article 27 and Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. In total, eight individuals have been informed of suspicions under these articles.

Previously, NABU and SAP exposed a large-scale fraud in the road construction sector, which caused the state budget losses of over 286 million hryvnias (€6.6 million) during the war.

Meanwhile, statistics show that only 1.5% of corruption convicts during the war have received prison sentences.