Ukraine and France investigate alleged fraud with bullet vests

Fmr President, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank the President of the Commission for his report.

According to the European Union Agency for Criminal Judiciary Cooperation (Eurojust), the investigation focuses on a contract signed in March 2022, shortly after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, under which the Kiev Government acquired 67,000 bulletproof vests and paid the full amount to the supplier in advance.

However, after receiving the material, an independent expert found that the vests were of poor quality and did not offer the level of protection announced, resulting in a loss of more than EUR 53 million to the Ukrainian State, the European agency explained.

Among the main suspects is a former senior head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence, who headed the department responsible for supplying material and allegedly facilitated the award of the contract in exchange for financial compensation by the supplier company.

Researchers suspect that the former employee has used a third party to invest part of the money unlawfully obtained in real estate in Nice, southern France.

Eurojust, based in The Hague, the Netherlands, coordinated cooperation between the two countries and enabled several requests for legal aid from Ukraine to enable the French authorities to carry out searches in French territory.

During the operation, Ukrainian agents and researchers traveled to France to collaborate with French counterparts and participate in the interrogation of suspects and in the taking of witness statements.

The authorities seized a property and several bank accounts linked to suspected persons involved in the case, but Eurojust did not specify the value of such assets or mention the holding of holdings.

The investigation is ongoing, and the agents will now examine the evidence obtained during the searches to determine the responsibilities of those involved.

The investigation took place in the first weeks of the Russian invasion, which began on 24 February 2022, when Ukraine urgently needed to strengthen the equipment of its Armed Forces to face the Moscow offensive.