Internal Affairs Minister announces arrest of top health officials on corruption charges

2016/6/30 18:43:35

Two top state sanitarians arrested in their offices with interrogation and arrest of many more expected as widespread, corrupt scheme is broken up, Internal Affairs Minister Avakov says via Facebook.

 

Svyatoslav Protas - file photo


KYIV, June 30, 2016 (UBO) – Speaking as he often does through the medium of his Facebook page, Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov said today that the chief sanitary doctor of Ukraine, Svyatoslav Protas, has been detained along with the chief of the department of health services of Ukraine, Oleksandr Chepurniy.

 

The two top officials were detained in their offices while at the same time across the country 19 other high medical officials were under interrogation. There are expectations of more arrests among those under investigation.

 

Avakov claims that a group of officials, led by Protas, developed and implemented a criminal scheme for the theft of a large amount from the budget. When the first tranche of funds stolen from the state budget were received, arrests of the scheme’s participants began.

 

The joint operation was designed and carried out by the National Police and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU). Avakov said this was an excellent example of coordinated joint action.”

 

Avakov went on to point out that the thefts from the state budget were organized and managed by Protas. Opportunities to participate in the action and share in the illegal proceeds were presented to 20 persons. Of that number, Avakov said only one refused to participate.

 

The National Police and NABU were able to closely monitor some of the illegal actions and observed 11 documented facts, extortion and the acceptance of bribes, Avakov claims.

 

Avakov concluded: ‘I hope we're on the right path - and in the meantime, we'll burn the rot.”

 

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