Ukraine: realities | «The Weekly Five»: 27.11 – 03.12

Minister of Defense of Ukraine: Compromised companies will no longer be able to profit from the military

The Ministry of Defense will join the oversight of tenders for the procurement of goods necessary for the Ukrainian army. All unscrupulous companies will be removed from participating in defense procurement.

The intention to strengthen control over the participation of unscrupulous companies in tenders was announced by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov during a meeting with the British Ambassador to Ukraine, Martin Harris. He emphasized that all defense procurements should be transparent and continuous. Companies or individuals that compromise themselves during tenders will be disqualified from participating in them.

"If any company or official is compromised under these circumstances, they should be removed," explained Umerov.

 

Deputy caught in a $150,000 bribery scandal

A Member of Parliament attempted to bribe former journalist and active participant in the Revolution of Dignity, Mustafa Nayem, who currently heads the State Agency for Infrastructure Reconstruction and Development in Ukraine.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office exposed the MP from the "For the Future" group, Serhiy Labazyuk, for offering a bribe.

He promised the high-ranking official a "reward" of 3–5% of the value of each contract for a specific company. Labazyuk hoped to secure government orders worth billions of hryvnias for the reconstruction of various facilities, according to law enforcement officials.

As reported by NABU, after receiving UAH 50 million for a reconstruction contract of a destroyed bridge in one of the regions of Ukraine through a trusted individual, Nayem was given a percentage amounting to $150,000.

The bribery transaction took place in the parking lot of a capital supermarket, and the money was concealed in a Chinese box.

However, this is not the only story involving the incorruptible Mustafa Nayem. On November 21, NABU announced suspicions against another MP, this time from the "Servant of the People" faction, Andriy Odarchenko. This "new face" also attempted to bribe the "old" Maidan activist Nayem. The result is the same—NABU is now investigating the deputy. Interestingly, Odarchenko is a member of the parliamentary committee on anti-corruption policy.

 

Mayor of Lutsk Igor Polischuk lied to the military about allocating 1.5 billion in aid

Lutsk Mayor Igor Polischuk initially told servicemen that 1.5 billion hryvnias in aid could be allocated in 2024, but during the session, the decision was "blocked."

The relevant video with the "promise" of the mayor was published by soldier Serhiy Tymchuk.

It is worth noting that on November 29, military personnel visited the mayor Polischuk before the start of the council session, where decisions on allocating aid to soldiers were to be made. During the meeting, military officer and deputy of the Volyn Regional Council, Andriy Koziura, brought his changes to the resolution project, proposing to allocate 1.5 billion hryvnias for the army in 2024, instead of the initially proposed 500 million.

Koziura suggested directing not 500 million but 1.5 billion. The mayor agreed to this change.

"We can write the figure as three billion. It will be 1.5 billion, fine. Okay then," Polischuk briefly reacted to the military's proposal.

However, in the session hall, the situation changed, and a verbal altercation between the mayor and the military began. The latter even shouted "Shame!" to Polischuk. As a result, the Lutsk City Council, led by Igor Polischuk, did not approve Koziura's amendment for 1.5 billion. Later, council member Alla Domanska suggested spending at least 800 million on aid, but her proposal was also rejected.

“Whoever today had the courage to press the button for 1.5 or 700, sign up for the infantry. Then maybe there will be more courage to press the right buttons,” Andriy Koziura reacted to the voting results.

City council deputy Andriy Luchyk, in his Telegram channel  revealed that although the mayor pressed the "for" button during the vote, his "pro-mayor majority" voted "against." However, according to Luchyk, the mayor himself instructs deputies on how to vote.

"I explain on my fingers the tactics and strategy of Mayor Igor Polischuk's promises. The mayor says, 'I support this proposal!' And what do we see after the voting results? The mayor presses the 'for' button, but the pro-mayor majority of deputies does not support it. When the military accuses the mayor: 'Hello! You promised! This is a betrayal.' He can always respond: 'I fulfilled my promise. I voted 'FOR.' What other deputies did not vote for is their problem. It's their issue.' Although in reality, the mayor himself instructs his deputies not to vote," writes Andriy Luchyk.

The deputy also noted that Mayor Polischuk's actions can be compared to playing a good-bad cop game.

 

Chernihiv law enforcement officials have detained a city council official for bribery

A sum of 142,000 hryvnias is the amount that an official from the Chernihiv City Council received as a bribe for facilitating the reconstruction of the heating system in the city library. This was reported by the press service of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine.

According to the investigation, the official demanded and received an unlawful benefit from the director of the subcontracting organization responsible for the heating system reconstruction works. The funds were transferred in two parts: 70,000 hryvnias before the contract was signed, and another 72,000 after its signing.

After receiving the second part of the bribe, law enforcement officials caught the official "red-handed." During the search of his office and residence, material evidence confirming the receipt of the bribe was seized.

Currently, the official has been informed of the suspicion of committing a criminal offense under Part 3 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (receiving unlawful benefits by a public official). The article's sanction provides for punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of 5 to 10 years with the deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to 3 years, as well as confiscation of property. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.

In addition to the above, investigative authorities are also examining the possible involvement of other officials from the Chernihiv City Council in corrupt schemes.

 

NABU to increase its staff to 1000 personnel

NABU (National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine) plans to increase its workforce over the next three years, from 700 to 1000 employees. The Bureau will be able to recruit up to 100 specialists annually.

This announcement was made by Ukrainian Member of Parliament and member of the Committee on Finance and Customs Policy, Oleksiy Leonov.

He noted that new legislative initiatives would help anti-corruption agencies operate more effectively.

"After the final approval of the draft laws, NACP (National Agency on Corruption Prevention) will be able to scrutinize the assets of officials who have already undergone the verification process. Additionally, for NACP checks, the property acquired before declarants' appointment to public service will be accessible. NABU will see an increase in the number of personnel from 700 to 1000 individuals over the next three years. To ensure a quality recruitment process each year, NABU will be able to hire up to 100 specialists annually," he stated.

According to him, there will also be an enhancement of the independence of SAP (Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office).

Leonov confirmed that Ukrainian partners positively evaluate the level of the fight against corruption.

 

The project «Ukraine: realities» is implemented by the News agency «Konkurent» together with the Civic Movement «SVIDOMI» in English for readers from other countries to tell the stories of people who survived the horrors of the Russian occupation.

Проєкт «Ukraine: realities» реалізовується Інформаційним агентством «Конкурент» спільно з Громадянським Рухом «СВІДОМІ» на англійській мові для читачів з інших країн аби розповісти історії людей, які пережили жахи російської окупації.