Former Ukrainian defense official faces charges over $29 million loss

The official has been indicted with "negligent attitude towards military service," according to an official statement from the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI). This charge falls under Article 425, Section 4 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which carries a penalty of imprisonment for a term of five to seven years.

After the start of the Russian aggression, the former high-ranking official of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense purchased fuel and lubricants for the military, illegally including value-added tax (VAT) in the payment, the SBI explained. This resulted in a loss of nearly 1.2 billion hryvnias ($29.3 million).

According to public broadcaster Suspilne, the suspect is Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, the former head of the Department of State Procurement and Supply of Material Resources of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.

Currently, a petition has been filed with the court to impose a pre-trial restriction on the suspect, the SBI confirmed. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing, and the SBI is cooperating with the Internal Security Department of the Ministry of Defense.

In January 2023, Bohdan Khmelnytskyi was dismissed from his position following a scandal over the procurement of supplies for the military.

At that time, news outlet Dzerkalo Tyzhnia published an article alleging that the Ministry of Defense was wasting funds on the purchase of food for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

In response, the Defense Ministry asserted that the information about the purchase of food for the army at inflated prices was spread with signs of deliberate manipulation and misled readers.