Case description
The NABU-SAPO suspects former Defense Ministry official Oleksandr Liev of allegedly embezzling almost UAH 1.5 billion during the purchase of ammunition together with his accomplices.
According to the prosecution, Oleksandr Khoroshayev, representative of the private company Sevotech spol. S.r.o., organized a group that involved Oleksandr Liev, former acting director of the Department of Military Technical Policy, Development of Armaments and Military Equipment of the Ministry of Defense.
The company signed a contract with Lviv Arsenal LLC for the supply of mortar rounds in August 2022. Subsequently, in October 2022, MoD officials signed a contract for the purchase of 40,000 120 mm mortar rounds and 60,000 82 mm mortar rounds worth almost UAH 1.5 billion.
Liev's role was to enter into an additional agreement to the contract that changed the terms of payment for the ammunition. In breach of the contract, Liev also prepared and approved a draft decision to make an advance payment of 97% of the contract price, which at the time amounted to more than UAH 1.3 billion. After receiving the funds, Lviv Arsenal transferred the money to the accounts of Khoroshayev's company without supporting documents, from where the funds were transferred to another company.
Shortly before that, the Ministry of Defense had added Lviv Arsenal LLC to the list of special arms importers. When the time came in December 2022 for the first supply of rounds, it became known that Lviv Arsenal was supposed to be assisted by Khoroshayev's company, but it did not have the ammunition. The rounds were in another country with which no one had signed an export license.
This case attracts attention because it was initially investigated by the National Police, but later the NABU took it on, as the Ministry of Defense was among the allegedly involved participants. However, in March 2024, the SAPO returned the case to the police because the involvement of the Ministry of Defense was not established.
In addition to Oleksandr Liev, the case involves Oleksandr Khoroshayev, representative of a private company;, Yuriiy Zbitnev, director of Lviv Arsenal LLC and Toomas Nahkur, head of the Defense Ministry's department. Their actions were classified under Article 191, clause 5 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
