Tablets were procured through a middleman company
Kiev law enforcement officials have announced suspicions against the deputy head of the Communication and Management Center of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and the deputy head of one of the units within this Center.
This was reported by the press service of the capital's prosecutor's office.
According to the preliminary investigation, both officials conducted the procurement of 2000 tablets in the summer of 2022 to support the digital development of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. The total expenditure amounted to 51.9 million hryvnias.
“The suspects, as those responsible for the procurement, failed to obtain accurate and reliable data regarding tablet prices during the market research.
Subsequently, under a simplified procurement procedure, in violation of the provisions of the Law of Ukraine on 'Public Procurement', they recognized the most advantageous offer from a middleman company that proposed supplying domestically produced tablets, which could have been purchased from the manufacturer under more favorable terms,” the prosecutor's office stated.
As a result, the cost of the purchased tablets was unjustifiably inflated by 7 million hryvnias.
Currently, the officials responsible for the procurement are facing charges of official negligence causing serious consequences (part 2 of Article 367 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The sanctions of the article provide for imprisonment for a term of two to five years, with a ban on holding certain positions or engaging in specific activities for up to three years, and a fine ranging from 250 to 750 non-taxable minimum incomes of citizens, or without such a penalty.