Transparency International Ukraine wants a criminal investigation into allegations of corruption at the Ukrainian Red Cross Society.
Volunteers at the Ukrainian Red Cross told TI Ukraine that representatives at the charity were selling humanitarian aid, according to a press release. The profits from the sales were described as “charitable contributions.”
The practice, as well as other money-making schemes, was caught on camera by Hromadske TV journalists who investigated after being alerted by volunteers.
Anastasia Solyanyk, press secretary for the Ukrainian Red Cross, told the Kyiv Post that the charity will not being giving an update on the investigation until Jan. 22.
The Ukrainian Interior Ministry did not respond to request for comment.
TI Ukraine said it had contacted the corporate partners of Ukrainian Red Cross, including Coca-Cola Ukraine, Proctor & Gamble and Porsche Finance Group. The Ukrainian Red Cross has invited the anti-corruption organization and the volunteers to participate in the investigation, according to the press release.
So far TI Ukraine has only received a response from Proctor & Gamble.
The anti-corruption organization brought the case to the attention of law enforcement agencies and is also working to verify the Hromadske investigation, including the amount of money (Hr 3.1 million) that the Ukrainian Red Cross receives from the Ukrainian state budget.
The Ukrainian Red Cross Society is not related to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Kyiv Post staff writer Isobel Koshiw can be reached at [email protected]
