President Poroshenko begins to reform Ukraine’s defense procurement system after corruption scandal
Ukrainian President, Petro Poroshenko, signed a decree enacting the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine( NSDC) "On the reform of the military-industrial complex and increasing the level of transparency in the implementation of the state defense order," reports the press service of the President of Ukraine.
The decision was made because of “the need to strengthen the role of domestic defense enterprises <...> in fulfilling the tasks of providing security and defense forces with new and modernized weapons and military equipment in the face of the Russian aggression,” reads the report.
As part of the reform, Kyiv will carry out inspections of the Ukrainian military-industrial enterprises. The Ukrainian government has been assigned the tasks of eliminating corruption risks, increasing transparency and strengthening control over the activities of the Ukrainian state-owned industrial conglomerate, Ukroboronprom and other state-owned enterprises of the defense industry.
In addition, Poroshenko promises to have Ukroboronprom’s accounts audited with the involvement of international experts and announce results to the public.
The Ukroboronprom corruption scandal broke out a few weeks before the Ukrainian presidential election. According to the Bihus.info investigation, the country's defense enterprises were engaged in supplying products to the army at inflated prices. The corruption scheme involved high-ranking officials from Poroshenko’s entourage, as well as representatives of various intelligence services, including the Security Service of Ukraine and the NABU (Ukraine National Anti-Corruption Bureau), the military prosecutor’s office and State Fiscal Service. Criminal cases were initiated against the officials.