"Mindichgate": based on Censor.NET materials, Public Anti-Corruption Council at Defence Ministry files NABU complaint over alleged Defence Ministry abuses in body armour procurement and Umerov’s role in scheme

Representatives of the Public Anti-Corruption Council at Ukraine’s Defence Ministry have filed a criminal complaint with the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) against Defence Ministry officials. The complaint concerns possible abuses by officials during tenders for the procurement of body armour.

This is stated in a Facebook post by the Public Anti-Corruption Council at the Defence Ministry, reports Censor.NET.

Criminal complaint filed with NABU

"Today, representatives of the Public Anti-Corruption Council at the Defence Ministry – Council head Yurii Hudymenko and his deputy Tetyana Nikolaienko – filed with NABU a statement reporting a crime committed by Defence Ministry officials under Article 214 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. The document concerns possible abuses by officials of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine – in particular the State Operator for Non-Lethal Acquisition (DOT) – during tenders for the procurement of body armour. It refers to contracts with Fortetsia Zakhystu LLC and Milicon UA LLC," the statement reads.

The Council notes that this case, as can be inferred from the Mindich tapes published by NABU and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), formed part of the dealings currently being investigated by anti-corruption bodies within the broader "Mindichgate" case. In particular, former Defence Minister Rustem Umerov features on the tapes.

Nikolaienko pointed out that the complaint sets out all the details currently known to the Public Anti-Corruption Council at the Defence Ministry regarding the procurement of body armour from Milicon, including abuses identified during the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission’s (NAKO) review of the tenders.

"Let me remind you that DOT initially named Fortetsia Zakhystu as the winning bidder despite its lack of a licence, and then, for reasons that remain unclear, cancelled the tender," Nikolayenko stressed.

The second time, DOT declared Milicon the winner even though the company did not have its own body armour sample. Not even an order issued by the State Audit Service of Ukraine and an adverse court ruling stopped the contract from being signed. Such a cluster of violations involving a single supplier is far too rare to be treated as a coincidence.

"We have also submitted information obtained by members of the Public Anti-Corruption Council while analysing the company’s possible links to Israeli national Haim Brenig. We expect the National Anti-Corruption Bureau to duly examine the documents provided and that this will help ensure an objective review of this procurement as part of Operation Midas," the statement says.

As a reminder, journalist Tetiana Nikolaienko’s article "How Umerov bought body armour from Mindich and what DOT violated to make it happen" alleges that Kvartal 95 co-owner Tymur Mindich was behind the corrupt scheme surrounding the body armour contract.

Mindichgate

Earlier, Censor.NET reported that NABU was conducting searches at Mindich's residence, who left Ukraine a few hours before the searches.
As reported, on Tuesday, 4 November, searches were conducted in one of the branches of the separate divisions of NNEGC "Energoatom" in connection with a corruption case.
The NABU is also conducting searches at the home of former Energy Minister Halushchenko and at "Energoatom".
The NABU and the SAPO announced a large-scale operation to expose corruption in the energy sector.
Current Minister of Energy Svitlana Hrynchuk appears on recordings obtained by NABU as part of its investigation into corruption in the energy sector.
Later, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau uncovered an office in central Kyiv belonging to the family of former MP and current Russian senator Andrii Derkach, where a "black ledger" was kept, cash was tracked, and money-laundering operations were organized.
On 11 November, NABU released recordings featuring Minister Halushchenko and Mindich.
Chernyshova has been served with a notice of suspicion of illicit enrichment under Operation "Midas."
One of the suspects, Dmytro Basov, was remanded in custody with bail set at UAH 40 million.
Halushchenko's former adviser Myroniuk was remanded in custody with bail set at UAH 126 million.
The Cabinet of Ministers has submitted proposals to the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) to impose personal sanctions against Tymur Mindich and Oleksandr Tsukerman following an NABU investigation into corruption in the energy sector.
Earlier, Ihor Myroniuk and Energoatom’s executive director for security, Dmytro Basov, featured on the NABU tapes under the alias "Tenor", were remanded in custody for 60 days.
Another suspect, Lesia Ustymenko, was also placed in pre-trial detention for 60 days.
The High Anti-Corruption Court has ruled on a preventive measure for Ihor Fursenko, a suspect in an energy-sector corruption case (known on the NABU tapes as "Roshyk").
On 13 November, the High Anti-Corruption Court arrested Liudmyla Zorina, with bail set at 12 million hryvnia.
Zelenskyy imposed sanctions against Mindich and Tsukerman.