The High Anti-Corruption Court on November 10 announced the verdict for three defendants in the case of embezzlement of 251 million UAH allocated for the purchase of bulletproof vests for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Former officials and the head of a charitable organization were sentenced to 7 to 10 years in prison.

This was reported on November 11 by the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.

According to law enforcement, in 2022, funds were transferred for the purchase of bulletproof vests for Ukrainian military personnel, but no bulletproof vests were ever delivered.

The panel of judges of the HACC announced the following decisions:

  • The former Director General of the State Enterprise "Ukrpatent" was found guilty of embezzlement of property on a particularly large scale. He was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment with confiscation of all property and a ban on holding public office for three years.
  • The former Acting State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy was found guilty of aiding and abetting embezzlement of funds. He was sentenced to 7 years of imprisonment with confiscation of half of his property and a three-year ban on holding public office.
  • The former Chairman of the Board of the charitable organization was sentenced to 8 years of imprisonment for legalization of property obtained through crime, with confiscation of all property and a three-year ban on holding relevant managerial positions. At the same time, the court found him not guilty of the charge of aiding and abetting embezzlement.

In addition, the HACC partially satisfied the civil claim of the state enterprise and ruled to jointly recover from the former Director General of "Ukrpatent" and the Acting State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy more than 296 million UAH in material damages.

According to NABU materials, in May-June 2022, officials organized the transfer of almost 251 million UAH to a charitable organization purportedly for the purchase of bulletproof vests for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Subsequently, according to the investigation, the money was distributed through a network of private companies and converted into cash for appropriation.

In May 2024, NABU and SAPO sent the indictment to court. The investigation was conducted with the participation of the State Bureau of Investigation.

The SAPO noted that the issue of appealing the verdict will be decided after reviewing the full text of the court decision. Therefore, the verdict may still be reviewed on appeal.