The criminal group caused state losses of more than 1.6 million hryvnias ($41,941).
The indictments have been sent to court. The sanction of the article provides for punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of 7 to 12 years.
The State Emergency Service was allocated fuel by the state to clear sites of missile attacks, conduct mine-clearing, and evacuate people from the frontline areas. However, it was illegally written off and used to refuel private trucks owned by companies registered to relatives of the SES official.
The drivers were subordinates of the official, who continued to receive the rescuers' salaries.
According to the agency, one of the rescuers acted as a "black fuel" refueler and was constantly on the premises of the colonel's household. The fuel thefts were so large-scale that the official had to set up a mini-fuel station right on the grounds of his own estate.
Read also: SBI probes ex-official in Zakarpattya for allegedly using troops as forced labor to construct dacha
From January to September 2022, the official illegally wrote off and withdrew 34,000 liters of fuel worth almost 1.2 million hryvnias ($31,456) to his "business," the SBI reported. Rescuers who, instead of serving in an emergency unit, transported commercial cargo and were engaged in refuelling, received over 400,000 hryvnias ($10,485) in unjustified salaries from the budget.
The SBI uncovered the scheme and in June 2023 pressed the first charges against the head of the rescue squad and five other defendants in the case.
At the request of the SBI, the SES official was suspended from his position and subsequently fired. The court seized his property, including real estate, vehicles, and bank accounts.
The organizer of the criminal group and five of his accomplices are charged with misappropriation of property through abuse of office.
The organizer is also charged with forgery of official documents, which caused grave consequences.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Section: Nation
Author: Alla Shcherbak
