The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has initiated an investigation against Defense Minister Rustem Umerov regarding potential abuse of power and official position.
The scandal erupted last week when the supervisory board of the Defense Procurement Agency (DPA) unanimously voted to extend the current director Marina Bezrukova's term for another year.
However, last Friday, Umerov overturned the board's decision, stating that he would not extend Bezrukova's contract "due to failures in arms procurement for the army." He appointed Arsen Jumadilov, head of the State Logistics Operator, as the new head of the agency.
The State Logistics Operator was established to coordinate arms procurement for the Ukrainian armed forces with the aim of eliminating intermediaries and minimizing corruption risks.
Previously, Umerov criticized arms procurement, claiming it had turned into "Amazon," where anyone could see what the Armed Forces of Ukraine were purchasing. Meanwhile, Ukraine has long sought to keep the details of these procurements confidential.
Umerov also dismissed two members of the agency's supervisory board: Taras Chmut, director of the "Come Back Alive" fund, and Yuriy Dzhyhir, former deputy defense minister.
Following this, the Anti-Corruption Action Center filed a complaint with NABU demanding an investigation into the defense minister for suspected abuse of office for refusing to comply with the DPA's decision.
The situation in the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has attracted the attention of the international community.
In a joint statement, ambassadors from the G7 countries called for a prompt resolution of the issue, the implementation of management reforms, and adherence to NATO principles.
According to Ukrainian law, supervisory boards have the unilateral authority to hire and fire heads of state enterprises. This means that legally, after the board's vote, Bezrukova should remain in her position at the Defense Procurement Agency for another year.
However, due to recent amendments made to the agency's charter by the Ministry of Defense, which oversees the DPA, the ministry has the right to annul the supervisory board's decision.