The case regarding the attempt to seize UAH 5 million of Ukrzaliznytsia funds during the purchase of PCR tests has received a new development: one of the suspects in this crime was extradited from the Slovak Republic to Ukraine, the SAP reports.
The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, together with the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, worked closely with the Prosecutor General's Office to secure the extradition of a representative of a commercial structure suspected of attempting to seize UAH 5 million during the purchase of PCR tests.
The suspect had been on the international wanted list since 2022. In the summer of 2023, thanks to cooperation with the relevant authorities of the Slovak Republic, he was detained, and the extradition request to Ukraine was granted. After the detainee is handed over to the Ukrainian side, the issue of imposing a preventive measure will be resolved.
As previously reported, the pre-trial investigation established that in 2020, Ukrzaliznytsia employees developed a scheme to attempt to seize funds during the procurement of COVID-19 PCR testing services. To do this, they artificially inflated the expected price of one unit by more than UAH 400 compared to the market price to ensure that the procurement procedure would be won in favor of a business entity selected in advance together with co-participants.
In total, it was planned to seize almost UAH 5 million, but due to the failure to pass the internal approval procedure, the contract was not concluded. In June 2022, six people were notified of suspicion. In October of the same year, this number increased by 2 more people.
