Police raids and operations against the oligarch, state authorities and officials took place today in Ukraine For corruption casesa phenomenon characteristic of the country and which had a significant impact on the supply of the army at the height of the war.

David Arakhamia, head of the presidential party Vladimir Zelensky, announced on Telegram that the police operations were mainly directed against billionaire Igor Kolomoisky, former Interior Minister Arsen Avakov and the Ukrainian tax authorities, and the customs department was fired. The researchers’ visit was also attended by high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Defense.

⚡️Ukrainska Pravda: Law enforcement agencies are conducting searches in the house of the influential oligarch Kolomoisky.

The Dnipro oligarch, who was present at the raid, is allegedly accused of evading customs payments on a “large scale” and stealing oil products worth $1 million. pic.twitter.com/sJotXdphNR

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) February 1, 2023

“The country will change with the war, and if someone is not ready for change, then the state will come and help him change.Arakhamia insisted, referring to the scourge of widespread corruption.

The police raids come a week after a number of senior Ukrainian officials were fired following a military-supply corruption scandal, the first of its kind since the start of the Russian invasion.

After all, Kyiv holds a summit meeting with the EU the day after tomorrow, on Friday. which made anti-corruption measures an important reform if Ukraine ever becomes part of the Union.

The Ukrainian authorities, whose military operations rely heavily on military and financial support from Europe and the United States, also want to root out corruption so as not to disappoint their Western allies.

Investigators of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) have published footage from a search of Kolomoisky’s house in the case of embezzlement of 40 billion hryvnia (about one billion euros at today’s exchange rate) with the participation of oil companies.

Ukrainian billionaire Igor Kolomoisky became the victim of a new anti-corruption attack https://t.co/btHJOpaKOj

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) February 1, 2023

The US-sanctioned billionaire supported Volodymyr Zelensky in his 2019 election campaign. They stayed close for a while until the Ukrainian president distanced himself.

The State Bureau of Investigation, an anti-corruption agency, has done its job raids on tax authoritiesaccusing “the head of the tax service of Kyiv of colluding with the aim of illegal enrichment in the amount of several billion dollars.”

Finally, according to Arakhamia, investigators handed notices to high-ranking Defense Ministry officials making them official suspects.

At the same time, he did not specify what they are accused of and whether the operation is connected with the scandal that erupted last week about the contract concluded by the Ministry of Defense for exorbitant prices for food intended for military personnel in various directions.

According to Ukrayinska Pravda, the raid on his house Kolomoisky has been linked to alleged abuse of petroleum products and evasion of customs duties.

Separately, Mr. Avakov he said how his home was searched as part of the helicopter crash investigation. January 18, which killed 14 people, including Interior Minister Denis Monastyrsky.

He said investigators were investigating a six-year-old purchase of an Airbus helicopter model involved in the crash, but “nothing of interest has been found to investigate.”

Source: APE-MPE-AFP-Reuters