The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) informs that the detectives of the Bureau have entered the information in the Unified Register of Pretrial Investigations and started a pretrial investigation on the grounds of misappropriation, waste of property or seizing it by abusing their official position based on the analysis of information set out in the journalistic investigation of corruption in the defense sector.

"According to the analysis of information presented in the journalistic investigation by Lesia Ivanova about the facts of corruption in the defense sphere, it was established that some of the described events are already being investigated in the framework of pretrial investigations carried out by the detectives of the National Bureau. As for other facts about the possible seizure of funds of state enterprises and the state budget of Ukraine perpetrated by an organized group on a large scale, on February 26, 2019 NABU detectives introduced information into Unified Register of Pretrial Investigations and began pretrial investigations on the grounds of a criminal offense under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine," the NABU press service said on Wednesday.

Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine says about appropriation, embezzlement of property or its seizure by abuse of official position. Part 5 of the article says that the actions of seizing funds committed in especially large amounts or by an organized group shall be punished with imprisonment for a term from seven to 12 years with deprivation of the right to hold certain posts or engage in certain activities for up to three years and with confiscation of property.

As earlier reported, Ihor Hladkovsky, together with Zhukov and Rohoza, through fictitious firms, reportedly delivered contraband Russian spare parts or parts from Ukrainian military units to Ukrainian defense enterprises at prices inflated two to four times higher than the purchase price, journalists from the Kyiv-based Bihus.info said.

In a video uploaded to the Internet on February 25, investigative journalists from Nashi Groshi said during 2018 they received an anonymous letter with an electronic archive of correspondence between participants in the deals. The journalists checked the information and concluded the leaked information was genuine.

The journalists said the amount of embezzled funds totals at least UAH 250 million, perhaps double that amount.

The investigative journalists say that Oleh Hladkovsky, who formerly was a business partner of incumbent President Petro Poroshenko, the ex-head of Ukrspecexport and head of Ukroboronprom Palvo Bukin, as well as directors and other officials of the state-owned defense concern were involved.

The investigation says the suspect deals was organized using three main fictitious firms, and that one of them included the Kuznya on Rybalsky Shipbuilding Plant, which was then owned by Poroshenko.