The State Bureau of Investigation handed over armor plates and ballistic helmets worth UAH 8 million to the National Guard

The State Bureau of Investigation handed over almost nine hundred armor plates and ballistic helmets worth UAH 8 million to the National Guard of Ukraine. The personal protective equipment was seized as part of a pre-trial investigation against the owners of a well-known chain of military stores.

The SBI exposed businessmen in July for humanitarian aid fraud for the National Guard of Ukraine totaling almost UAH 15 million.

In the spring of 2022, businessmen approached one of the military units with a proposal to provide free armor plates and protective helmets. They promised to buy them abroad at their own expense and give them to the military for free.

For the import of military goods, the merchants requested the proper certificate, which allowed them to avoid customs procedures and paying into the state budget.

After receiving the documentation, the offenders imported from Poland 1.5 thousand armor plates and 300 protective helmets. The declared value of the cargo was over UAH 800 thousand. Meanwhile, experts estimated the imported goods at UAH 15 million.

Instead of handing over the goods to the military for free, as agreed, the entrepreneurs offered the unit's management a contract of sale and the purchase of the products at market value. When the military refused, the entrepreneurs applied pressure. Simultaneously, "humanitarian" armor plates and helmets were made available for purchase through a network of their own stores.

The owner and the head of the retail chain were served a notice of suspicion of selling goods (items) of donated aid for profit, committed in a significant amount, by prior conspiracy, during martial law (Part 3 of Art. 201-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine), as well as violation of the established procedure for international transfers of goods subject to state export control (Part 1 of Art. 333 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

The suspects face up to 7 years in prison.

In November 2022, by court decision, the State Bureau of Investigation has already handed over almost 140 thousand rounds of ammunition to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which were seized as part of this pre-trial investigation.

Earlier, within the framework of this criminal proceeding, 140 thousand rounds of ammunition were seized and transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the basis of the decision of the investigating judge of the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv. The pre-trial investigation is now completed.