The High Anti-Corruption Court arrested the former Minister of Health of Ukraine Maxim Stepanov in absentia.
This was reported by the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.
The case against Stepanov concerns the period when he was director of the state enterprise Polygraph Combine Ukraine, which produces forms for official documents.
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We are talking about organizing a scheme to seize the plant’s funds in the amount of more than 450 million UAH. Stepanov is suspected of misappropriation and legalization of these funds.
On September 13, VACS, at the request of NABU detectives, chose a preventive measure in absentia for the ex-minister in the form of detention.
– Arrest in absentia – a preventive measure was chosen for the former director of the State Enterprise Polygraph Plant… After the person was detained and taken to the venue pre-trial investigation, the investigating judge will decide on the application of this preventive measure, — clarified by SAPO.
What is known about the case
According to investigators, the scheme operated from 2013 to 2016. The name of the director of the Polygraph Plant is not announced by NABU and SAP. However, it is known from open sources that this post was held at that time by Maxim Stepanov.
The investigation claims that in 2013, the then director of the Polygraph Plant acquired a company in Estonia through dummies. Subsequently, it was used to purchase materials for the production of document forms (for passports of citizens of Ukraine, ID cards, driver’s licenses, etc.).
The gasket company purchased materials from manufacturers, and resold them to the Polygraph Combine at an inflated cost by 4-6 times.
As noted by NABU, during 2013-2016, participants in the scheme took possession of the funds of the state enterprise Polygraph Combine Ukraine in the amount of more than 450 million UAH.
In addition, the ex-director of the plant patented for a controlled company the intellectual property right to implanted security elements in Ukrainian passports.
– Thus, each citizen, receiving documents, not only overpaid the cost due to inflated purchases, but also “donated” official for his “intellectual contribution”, — explained in NABU.
The scheme was exposed thanks to cooperation within the international investigative team (Ukraine, Estonia and France) under the auspices of Eurojust.
On July 21 of this year, five people received suspicion: the former director Printing plant Maxim Stepanov, ex-head of department of this enterprise, an individual accomplice to the crime. And documents were sent to Estonia for notification of suspicion to two citizens of this country (the director and manager of a controlled gasket company).
The suspicion was announced under Part 5 of Art. 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (Appropriation, embezzlement of property or taking possession of it on a particularly large scale through abuse of official position).
Stepanov is additionally charged with laundering proceeds from crime (Part 3 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
