The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) has determined the preventive measures for two suspects in a high-profile case involving the extortion of a large bribe in the public procurement sector. The suspects are an official of the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) Administration and the owner of a private enterprise engaged in the production of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones).

The scheme: from collusion to extortion

The investigation established that the SBGS official had previously agreed with an accomplice to rig a tender for drone supplies so that their controlled company would win. However, their plans were thwarted: an independent participant joined the bidding, offering to supply 270 unmanned aerial systems for 825 million UAH.

Despite the accomplice's attempts to convince the competitor not to lower the price, citing "agreements," the new participant updated their offer to 760 million UAH and won the auction. After the collusion scheme failed, the criminals decided to profit from the winner itself.

The entrepreneur began persuading the head of the winning company to pay for a "trouble-free" conclusion and execution of the contract. To add weight to the demands, a phone call was organized with an SBGS representative, who assured that the conditions were allegedly agreed upon with the department's leadership.

One million dollars and bail amounts

The amount of the demanded bribe was $1 million USD — this is from 5 to 10% of the total amount of the future contract. The money was planned to be split between the accomplices and SBGS officials.

During the hearing, the court selected the following preventive measures:

  • The SBGS Administration official was sentenced to detention with the alternative of posting bail in the amount of 4 million UAH.
  • The entrepreneur was also sentenced to detention or bail in the amount of 44,262,000 UAH.

Reaction of the agencies

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) announced the exposure of the scheme on May 29. On the same day, searches were conducted in SBGS units in Kyiv, and both suspects were notified of suspicion.

The State Border Guard Service stated that it is cooperating with the investigation and is interested in an objective inquiry. According to them, the tender procedure was conducted legally, and the firm with the lowest price offer was recognized as the winner.