Investigations in France were conducted as part of a case involving the supply of substandard bulletproof vests to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, in cooperation with French and Ukrainian authorities and coordinated by Eurojust, according to a statement released by the organization on Thursday. According to Eurojust, this procurement resulted in losses exceeding 53 million euros.
The Ukrainian government had purchased 67,000 bulletproof vests and had paid 100% of the amount in advance to the supplier. After the equipment was delivered, an independent inspection found that the vests were of poor quality and did not provide the stated level of protection.
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Authorities are investigating the involvement of a former official from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, who headed a department responsible for the development of logistical support.
According to the statement, there is a suspicion that in March 2022, the former official facilitated the conclusion of the contract with the supplier and received financial compensation for his services.
Investigative authorities are also examining the possibility that these funds were invested, through a third party, in real estate in Nice, France.
Real estate and bank accounts were seized
Eurojust reported that it coordinated cooperation between Ukrainian and French authorities and facilitated the execution of mutual legal assistance requests submitted by Ukraine to France.
This cooperation made it possible to conduct a search of a property in France, as well as to allow Ukrainian authorities to participate in the operations carried out by their French counterparts.
According to Eurojust, Ukrainian authorities also assisted in the questioning of suspects and witnesses.
During the operations, the property and several bank accounts belonging to individuals allegedly involved in the case were seized.
The investigation will continue with the examination of the evidence seized during the searches.
It should be noted that an investigating judge from the Paris Court and the Central Office for the Fight Against Serious Economic Crime participated in the operations on behalf of France, while Ukraine was represented by the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Security Service of Ukraine, and the State Bureau of Investigations.
Source: KYPE
