Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Service said Thursday it had seized $1.5 million worth of cryptocurrency assets from Yuri Rural, the former head of Ukraine’s Special Communications Service.
The asset seizure includes 6.9 BTC, 1.2 million USDT and 331 TRX belonging to Shchigol, the agency known as NABU said in a release. The former government official is being investigated for allegedly misappropriating about $1.8 million worth of government funds.
According to NABU, Shchigol and his deputy Victor Zhor were behind a criminal scheme in which the Special Communications Service, which provides communications between government agencies, purchased and overpaid for software and services from two companies. The purchase was made in secret to avoid a public auction.
These unnamed companies colluded with Shchigol and Zhor, and the government agency ended up paying 285 million hryvnia ($7.8 million). The goods and services purchased were actually purchased from other suppliers abroad and cost only 223 million hryvnia ($6.1 million). NABU said Shchigol and Zhor pocketed the difference.
conspirator arrested
Ukrainian news agency RBC reported that Zor was arrested Wednesday.
Ukrainian officials are known to use cryptocurrencies. In 2021, various government officials reported owning 46,351 bitcoins, worth $2.7 billion at the time. The 19-year-old son of two members of parliament and a local politician reported owning $24.6 million worth of Monero.
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