NABU: top officials to stand trial for abuse in food procurement during war

A former first deputy minister of agrarian policy and food (now deputy minister of economy, ecology, and agriculture) and a former deputy minister of economy will stand trial for corruption in food procurement during the war, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) reports.

In a Telegram post on Wednesday, NABU noted that the top officials are accused of abuse totaling nearly UAH 64 million during the procurement of food products by JSC Ukrzaliznytsia to meet state needs under martial law.

According to NABU, at the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the first deputy minister of agrarian policy and food implemented two schemes through which pasta for humanitarian needs was purchased from selected foreign companies.

"Procurements were carried out through a series of intermediary companies, and the price increase reached almost 300%. At the same time, the official was aware of the real cost of the products and recognized the readiness of Ukrainian producers to supply them, yet deliberately ignored these facts," the report says.

In another scheme, according to NABU, the aforementioned top official was joined by the then-deputy minister of economy.

"He, in particular, concealed data regarding more favorable offers from other market participants, including Ukrainian producers," the Bureau specified.

As a result of two episodes of criminal activity, the state suffered losses in the amount of UAH 63.9 million.