Ukraine has made an important arrest after the high ranking Deputy Secretary of the Defense Ministry was caught in relation to an embezzlement case worth 40 million dollars. This arrest comes as a part of a large-scale investigation into corruption within the Ukrainian government, which has seen a plethora of high profile officials being taken into custody.
Anatoliy Pshenichnikov, the Deputy Secretary of the Defense Ministry, was charged by the Ukrainian government with suspected embezzlement of funds from the armed forces. According to reports, he is accused of stealing 40 million dollars from the Ministry of Defense coffers in an intricate scheme that involved money laundering and other dubious activities.
Pshenichnikov was arrested by Ukrainian agents in Lviv, a western city of Ukraine, alongside two of his colleagues who are being investigated in connection with the case. Ukraine’s top prosecutor Yuriy Lutsenko stated that more high level officials from the Defense Ministry could be arrested in the probe, including the Secretary himself.
Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Bureau, which is tasked with investigating and prosecuting cases of government corruption, has made several prominent arrests during the last year. This includes high-ranking politicians and senior government officials involved with other corruption schemes.
The arrest of Anatoliy Pshenichnikov is considered to be an important victory for the anti-corruption movement and a sign that the new Ukrainian government is serious about ending corruption. The majority of the Ukrainian population is of the view that the only way to end the endemic corruption is for the government to be firm and take decisive action.
The investigation into Pshenichnikov is ongoing and additional members of the Defense Ministry are expected to be arrested in relation to the embezzlement. Once all the facts are revealed, it is likely that the Deputy Secretary of Defense will face prosecution and a possible prison sentence.
The effort to clamp down on government corruption is an important step for the new Ukrainian government and it is hoped that these arrests will lead to a cleaner and more transparent government.
