Ex-agrarian deputy minister charged with abuse of office and official forgery
NABU and SAPO have charged the former deputy minister of agrarian policy and the deputy head of a district state administration with abuse of office and official forgery, which resulted in millions in damages to the state.
According to the investigation, in 2018, the head of a department at the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, who later became a deputy minister, along with the deputy head of the district state administration, illegally secured the disbursement of UAH 27 million in state aid to an enterprise in the plant-growing sector. The funds were allocated as compensation for expenses allegedly incurred for the purchase of planting material. In fact, no such products were purchased, but were a contribution to the company's charter capital from the sole founder.
The suspects' actions fall under Part 2 of Article 364 and Part 1 of Article 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is considered not-guilty in the commission of a crime and cannot be subject to criminal punishment until he or she is found guilty by court.