The European Commission is closely monitoring cases of corruption detected by Ukrainian authorities in military acquisitions and has “no doubt” that Kiev will carry out an “adequate” investigation, cited by EFE, quoted by Agerpres.
The main spokesperson for the European Commission, Eric Mamer, and the spokesperson for foreign affairs, Peter Stano, made these statements on Monday when they were asked at the daily press conference about the information provided by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense regarding cases of corruption in purchasing ammunition.
“We are well aware of this information about cases of corruption in the delivery of orders in Ukraine. We have already heard that the government and Ukrainian authorities have announced an investigation. So we are following this issue very, very closely,” Stano said.
Peter Stano referred to the recovery by Kyiv authorities of 1.5 billion hryvnias (over 36 million euros at the current exchange rate) that had been transferred to an intermediary for the purchase of artillery ammunition at an inflated price.
Both Stano and Mamer stated that the EU executive has “no doubt” that the Ukrainian authorities will conduct their own “proper” and “adequate” investigation.
Mamer also indicated that “EU assistance (provided to Kyiv on its path towards future accession to the community bloc) also serves to ensure that the Ukrainian state can function normally, including those entities of the Ukrainian government and its administration that are fighting against corruption.”
Umerov gives an overview of recent cases of corruption
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov referred to the corruption case in a post on his social media accounts, where he gave an overview of recent actions against such practices, which have been repeatedly warned about by Kyiv’s allies such as the US.
Umerov also mentioned a case where the Ministry of Defense won a lawsuit against a Ukrainian arms company that failed to deliver explosive mines to the army under a contract worth 1.5 billion hryvnias (over 36 million euros).
Among the anti-corruption actions taken in the past week, the Ukrainian minister also mentioned the charges brought against several officials in the defense sector for the irregular purchase of mortar ammunition, also worth 1.5 billion hryvnias.
“A series of violations” were recorded during unexpected inspections, the minister announced on Facebook, according to dpa.