The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dismissed Yuriy Shchygol and his deputy for digital development, digital transformations and digitalization, Viktor Zhora, from the post of head of the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection (SSSCIP).
The head of the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection and his deputy were dismissed from their positions
The representative of the Cabinet of Ministers in the Verkhovna Rada, Taras Melnychuk, announced the dismissal of Shchygol and his deputy.
Dmytro Makovsky will temporarily perform the duties of the Head of the SSSCIP of Ukraine.
At the same time, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SACPO) reported the suspicion to the heads of the State Intelligence Service.
They are suspected of embezzling state funds of more than 62 million. Members of an organized group of 6 people are suspected of committing crimes.
The crime was classified according to chapter 5 of 191 Art. of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (waste and appropriation of property). The suspects face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.
What is known about the misuse of funds in the SSSCIP
The investigation established that SSSCIP officials, abusing their official position and acting as part of an organized group, seized budget funds for over UAH 62 million.
In 2021, the SSSCIP purchased informatization tools designed to create a protected data register system.
The winner of the procurement was determined to be a company under the control of the organizer of a criminal organization, which supplied software to the state-owned enterprise "Ukrainian Special Systems", which belongs to the SSSCIP, at an inflated cost.
SACPO notes that under the terms of the contracts for the supply of the relevant software and services, the state company transferred more than UAH 285 million in 2021—-2022. At the same time, the actual cost of the software was UAH 223 million.
The participants of the scheme transferred UAH 62 million of the difference to the accounts of controlled companies abroad to be distributed among the members of the organized group.
