French and Ukrainian investigators have carried out searches linked to an inquiry into the purchase of faulty body armour for Ukraine’s armed forces that authorities say caused losses of more than €53 million.
Ukraine’s state authorities bought 67,000 body armour vests and paid the supplier in full in advance, the EU judicial co-operation agency Eurojust informed in a release on Friday.
An independent examination later found the vests were of poor quality and did not provide the declared level of protection.
A former Ukrainian Ministry of Defence official is suspected of involvement in the case.
The official allegedly helped secure the contract with the supplier in March 2022 and received money from the supplier in return.
Those suspected proceeds were allegedly invested via another person into real estate in Nice, France.
Property and bank accounts seized
Co-operation between Ukraine and France was co-ordinated by Eurojust, which said it helped execute several Mutual Legal Assistance requests — formal cross-border requests for help in criminal investigations.
That support enabled authorities to search property in France and allowed Ukrainian officials to join French counterparts during the action day.
Property and several bank accounts belonging to people alleged to be involved were seized during the operation.
Investigations will continue with examination of evidence taken during the searches.
The French authorities involved included an investigative judge at the Court of Paris and the Central Office against Major Financial Crime, while Ukrainian agencies involved included the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Security Service of Ukraine and the State Bureau of Investigation.
