Embezzlement of over 1.5 million Euros: Two high-ranking officials detained in Ukraine

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office have announced suspicions against the first deputy minister of agricultural policy and a former deputy minister of the economy. They are suspected of embezzling over 62 million hryvnias in the procurement of goods.

This information is reported by the NABU press service.

The investigation concerns abuses involving more than 62 million hryvnias in the procurement of humanitarian aid. This involves two episodes.

In the first case, investigators point to the procurement of goods using funds from “Ukrzaliznytsia” for the population of eight regions and the city of Kyiv. The purchases were made at prices that were 2-3 times higher than market prices. The purchases were made from a Polish company, but they were conducted through an intermediary. As a result of this scheme’s implementation from March to August 2022, “Ukrzaliznytsia” incurred losses of 28.8 million hryvnias.

According to the investigation, the scheme was organized by the first deputy minister of agricultural policy and food, a position held by Taras Vysotsky since 2021.

In the second episode, it involves the procurement of goods from a foreign manufacturer in Turkey during the same period. The investigation indicates that Vysotsky was involved in these purchases. Due to the involvement of controlled companies in the scheme, prices were inflated.

Additionally, law enforcement asserts that a former deputy minister of the economy was involved in executing the deal. In this case, “Ukrzaliznytsia” suffered damages of 33.7 million hryvnias.

The official’s name is not provided, but information from the judicial register reveals that in 2022, detectives conducted a search at the then-deputy minister of economy Alexander Hryban as part of an investigation into abuses related to the distribution of humanitarian aid.

During the search, €19,800 and $55,602 were seized from the official, along with an Apple MacBook Pro 13 laptop and an Apple iPhone X mobile phone. In late June 2023, Hryban voluntarily resigned from his position.