Millions of hryvnias in corruption uncovered in disability aid sector in Ukraine

The Ministry of Social Policy and the Fund for Social Protection of Persons with Disabilities mismanaged approximately 23 million hryvnias of budgetary funds and 65 million hryvnias, despite the rising number of disabled individuals in Ukraine.

Using corrupt methods, certain manufacturing companies provided false information to the Fund about when rehabilitation funds were actually given to beneficiaries. This led to delays in providing 10 million hryvnias to 92 individuals. Moreover, these companies mishandled the allocation of rehabilitation funds and misused budgetary resources due to the absence of preventive measures within the Ministry of Social Policy.

The total sum of these violations amounted to 8 million hryvnias. An additional 18 million hryvnias were inefficiently utilized through setting prices near the maximum limit and including costs for sales, administrative expenses and payments for commercial and educational services. Additionally, costly components for prosthetic and orthopedic devices were purchased at 1.5-2.5 times the standard price, resulting in nearly 4 million hryvnias spent.