An active member of the Verkhovna Rada has been suspected in a case regarding the misappropriation of funds from "Ukrzaliznytsia". This was reported by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.
According to the investigation, the suspect and his accomplice, an entrepreneur, devised a scheme that involved supplying products to JSC "Ukrzaliznytsia" at inflated prices. They conspired with members of another organized group, which included an official from UZ.
Acting as a sort of "back office" for the company, members of the second organized group informally controlled its operations and could secure the victory of companies under the entrepreneur's control in tenders for a certain percentage of the purchase amount.
As a result, during 2021-2022, companies controlled by the entrepreneur unlawfully won tenders for the supply of cable and conductor products for UZ. During the tenders, with the assistance of officials from JSC "Ukrzaliznytsia", these companies coordinated their actions and inflated the expected cost of the products in various ways.
Thus, "Ukrzaliznytsia" entered into contracts with the controlled enterprises, which supplied products at prices higher than market rates. The company incurred losses amounting to over 140 million UAH.
The actions of the people's deputy — co-organizer of the group, have been classified under part 3 of Article 27 and part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. In total, 8 individuals have been informed of suspicion regarding the stated facts.
Law enforcement agencies traditionally do not disclose the name of the people's deputy. Media reports suggest that it concerns Viktor Bondar.
Bondar is 49 years old, he is a member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Transport and Infrastructure and does not belong to any faction.
From 2005 to 2006, he served as the Minister of Transport and Communications, and in the following two years, he was the Deputy Head of the Presidential Secretariat, while from 2007 to 2010, he headed the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration.
Bondar was the leader of the "Revival" party and ran for the presidency of Ukraine. After the 2019 elections, he became co-chairman of the parliamentary group "For the Future".