Former health minister Stepanov facing charges by NABU
The NationalAnti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has brought an indictment against Maksym Stepаnov, former director of the state enterprise “Polihrafkombinat,” who is accused of orchestrating a corruption scheme during 2013-2016.
At that time, Stepаnov was at the helm of the company and later went on to become the Minister of Health.
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NABU’s press service reported the ongoing investigation on July 21, which revealed that in 2013, the former head of Polihrafkombinat acquired an Estonian company through proxies. This company was allegedly used to facilitate the procurement of materials for the production of blank passports, ID cards, driver’s licenses, and other documents.
These materials were reportedly purchased directly from manufacturers and later resold to the state-owned enterprise at significantly inflated prices, ranging from four to six times higher than their actual cost.
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“This scheme allowed a group of criminals to embezzle funds amounting to nearly UAH 0.5 billion ($13.5 million) during 2013-2016,” NABU reported.
Additionally, the suspects registered intellectual property rights to the graphical elements of Ukrainian passports under a foreign company, enabling them to receive additional rewards in the form of royalties.
In early 2022, in response to the investigation, the Cabinet of Ministers intervened and ceased payments related to the scheme at the initiative of NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP).
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The investigation also uncovered evidence of money laundering, with nearly $1.5 million of the total amount being laundered in Ukraine, including through the fictitious sale of corporate rights at inflated values.
As of July 21, five individuals have been indicted, including the former director, former head of the Polihrafkombinat department, an individual involved in the crime, and two Estonian citizens (the director and manager of the controlled company).
The suspects have been charged under Article 191, Part 5 of the Criminal Code for misappropriation or embezzlement of someone else’s property through abuse of official position in especially large amounts or by an organized group. This article carries a potential prison sentence of seven to twelve years.
Additionally, the former director is facing charges of money laundering, as stipulated under Article 209, Part 3 of the Criminal Code, which also carries a potential prison sentence of seven to twelve years.
Although the names of the individuals involved have not been officially disclosed by law enforcement authorities, publicly available information indicates that Maksym Stepаnov served as the head of Polihrafkombinat from 2011 to 2016 and later led the Ministry of Health from 2019 to 2021.
Stepаnov was dismissed from the position of Minister of Health by the Verkhovna Rada, with 292 votes, on May 18, 2021. Throughout his tenure as head of the ministry, he faced repeated calls for his resignation from lawmakers, with some advocating for his dismissal as early as May 2020 due to a scandalous procurement of protective suits.
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Instead of purchasing suits from a Ukrainian manufacturer, the Ministry announced a new tender with undisclosed conditions and decided to buy Chinese-made suits at a 40% higher cost through an unknown intermediary.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
