The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has launched an investigation into the country’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov at the request of the Anti-Corruption Action Center (ACAC).
Umerov is suspected of abuse of power or official position, as reported in the ACAC Telegram channel. This article provides for a punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of three to six years.
The minister is accused of unlawfully refusing to extend the contract for one year with the director of the Defense Procurement Agency, Maryna Bezrukova, whom he blamed for the army’s supply problems. Umerov also dismissed two members of the supervisory board who voted to extend the contract. The creation of supervisory boards at defense procurement agencies was a key NATO recommendation to protect these structures from external interference.
Earlier, Verkhovna Rada deputy Anastasiya Radina strongly recommended that Umerov resign. She believes that the head of the Ministry of Defence is destroying the trust of Ukrainian citizens in the defense sector.
In early December, the Verkhovna Rada voted to summon Umyerov for a report in connection with allegations of supplying low-quality mines produced by "Ukroboronprom" to the Ukrainian military.