The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office said it had launched proceedings against former Finance Minister Yuriy Kolobov on suspicion of complicity in the conspiracy-based embezzlement of state funds to a total of Hr 220 million.
“The ex-minister is suspected of organizing the preparation of a draft law to make changes to the state budget in criminal collusion with other senior officials and in violation of the terms for tendering for the purchase of a stake in PJSC Ukrtelecom. This led to the allocation of Hr 220 million for the acquisition, at the expense of the state, of telecommunications equipment for building a special telecommunications net,” the office said in a statement.
Earlier, Ukrtelecom had claimed that it had funded the creation of the special net from its own resources only.
Prosecutor General Vitaliy Yarema said on Sept. 30 that the other suspects in the case were former President Viktor Yanukovych, ex-Prime Minister Mykola Azarov and some officials close to them.
