Employees of a Ukrainian arms company and officials from the country's defense ministry joined forces to embezzle nearly $40 million in war funds. The money was intended to buy 100,000 mortar shells for the country's ongoing war with Russia, according to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
Five people have been charged with the robbery, the SBU reported on Saturday Associated Press. One was caught trying to cross the border into Ukraine. If convicted, they each face up to a dozen years behind bars.
Many “conspiracy theorists” have long been talking about Ukraine's corruption, but if Kiev wants to be welcomed into the European Union and NATO soon, it needs to clean up its act.
“Officials from both blocs have demanded sweeping reforms against the courts before Kiev can join them,” AP reports.
“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was elected on an anti-corruption platform in 2019, well before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022,” according to the outlet. “Both the president and his aides have portrayed the recent firings of senior officials, particularly that of Ivan Bakanov, former head of the State Security Service, in July 2022, as evidence of his efforts to crack down on 'graft”.
In August 2022, Ukrainian officials signed a contract with arms company Lviv Arsenal for 1.5 billion hryvnias ($39.6 million) worth of artillery shells.
The company had to transfer the funds it received as payment to a company registered abroad. This business would then deliver the ammunition to Ukraine.
Instead, investigators said, the money went to various accounts in Ukraine and the Balkans and the ammunition never turned up.
In addition to arresting the alleged culprits, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine announced that the stolen funds had been confiscated and would be returned to the country's defense budget.
It's little comfort to struggling Americans who learned this month that more than $1 billion in weapons provided to Ukraine by the Biden administration tracked incorrectly by US diplomatic and defense officials.
According to a recent inspector general report, as of June 2, 2023, the US had transferred to Ukraine at least $1.699 billion in items that by law qualify for enhanced end-use tracking, the DOD officials did not collect complete or timely inventories on 69% of the total value.
The report noted that DOD's inability to enter items into government databases or confirm their location in a timely manner “may increase the risk of theft or diversion.”
Meanwhile, President Biden has continued to call for additional money to be sent to aid Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy's efforts against Russia as a condition of protecting the US border from an invasion of illegal migrants.
“Today, I gathered leaders in Congress to make clear the importance of getting Ukraine what it needs to defend itself against Putin's aggression,” Biden wrote in a Jan. 17 post on X. “The lack of to act endangers the security of the United States and the freedom of the world.”
“Congress, don't delay,” he urged lawmakers. “Pass my national security supplement. The time to act is now.”
Today I gathered leaders in Congress to make clear the importance of getting Ukraine what it needs to defend itself against Putin's aggression.
Failure to act endangers the security of the US and the free world.
Congress, don't delay. Pass my homeland security… pic.twitter.com/GcHg5oAVu0
— President Biden (@POTUS) January 18, 2024
Speaking to Nevada voters in Las Vegas on Saturday, Republican front-runner Donald Trump shattered the “so-called border security deal” for its inclusion of tens of billions of dollars for Ukraine.
“The so-called border security deal that Biden is pulling out and pushing is not designed to stop illegal immigration,” he told the Sin City crowd. “It is designed to continue the invasion of America while sending billions of dollars to Ukraine and other countries.”
Trump Cuts Biden Change on Border Bill: Invasion Continues and Billions More in Ukraine https://t.co/FEO7byPrpa road @BIZPACRevision
— Based on BPR (@DumpstrFireNews) January 28, 2024
AX, news of Ukraine's continued corruption surprised few who have been paying attention.
“Duh. The most corrupt country in the world!” exclaimed one user. “Good lord, just finding this out amuses me!”
duh The most corrupt country in the world! Good lord, just discovering this amuses me!
— Docs Hollar (@DocsHollar) January 28, 2024
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