On July 11, 2018, the prosecutor of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor`s Office (SAPO) made a decision to terminate the criminal proceeding as of suspected ex-Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and as of one more person (who is also known as a relative of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine).
According to the NABU Detectives, the abovementioned suspects organized scheme of public funds embezzlement during the purchase of the backpacks for the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine (MIA). Also the prosecutor decided that the third suspect in this case — the representative of the company (which was supposed to purchase these backpacks) committed a crime himself.
The NABU considers that this decision is irrelevant and inconsistent. In April 2018, the NABU Detectives by the order of the SAPO prosecutors granted the defense and suspects with access to the materials of the pre-trial investigation, which is commonly done when Detectives and prosecutors think that all evidence in the proceeding is collected. After that, on the SAPO’s instructions, the NABU Detectives drawn up an indictment against all three suspects (the indictment is required only for referral of the case to court).
But on July 10, 2018, in the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations the SAPO prosecutor made a note about the reinstatement of the pre-trial investigation in the backpack`s case, which had already been at the stage of acquaintance with materials.
It should be noted that on June 12, 2018, the NABU Detectives filed a petition requesting the restriction of the defense in terms of acquaintance with materials of the case. The SAPO prosecutor did not support this petition, so the Detectives filed it on their own. This petition has not been considered yet.
It should be reminded that on October 31, 2017, the NABU Detectives under the procedural guidance of the SAPO conducted a number of searches. As the result, three persons were detained on suspicion of 14 million UAH public funds embezzlement – the former Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine (MIA), a representative of the winning company-supplier of tactical backpacks for the MIA and one more person.
The investigation revealed that in 2015 the abovementioned persons were involved in backpacks’ procurement procedure at the expense of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. The backpacks were procured at a price significantly higher than the average. According to the NABU Detectives, the goods were not delivered on time and the backpacks did not meet the requirements prescribed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. As a result, the state suffered losses in the amount exceeding 14 million UAH.
On October 31, 2017, the former Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and another person were given notices of suspicion for allegedly committing a crime under Part 5 Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The multimedia article about "Backpacks` case": https://nabu.gov.ua/node/3159
You can find more details about the "backpacks` case" in the scheme and in the case’s profile.
Scheme in HQ: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nab_ukr/38159261576/
Case`s profile in HQ: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nab_ukr/38159261786/