Ukraine’s National Police are conducting large-scale searches in medical institutions across the country

The National Police of Ukraine reported that on the morning of Friday, March 20, they are carrying out seventy searches in medical institutions and at the homes of facility heads across Ukraine.

The National Police noted that the investigative actions concern schemes to misappropriate budget funds that were supposed to be allocated to treating citizens under medical guarantee programs.

“This concerns fictitious medical services and manipulation of data in the electronic healthcare system. According to preliminary estimates, the amount of losses may reach hundreds of millions of hryvnias,” the agency added.

The investigation is being conducted into:

• misappropriation and embezzlement of property (Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine),

• abuse of power or official position (Article 364),

• official forgery (Article 366),

• interference with the operation of automated systems (Article 362),

• official negligence (Article 367),

• legalization (laundering) of proceeds obtained by criminal means (Article 209).

Specialists from the Main Investigative Department of the National Police and operatives from the Department of Strategic Investigations are involved in the investigative actions, together with regional territorial units, prosecutors’ offices, and with the assistance of the Ministry of Health and the National Health Service of Ukraine.