By Dan Peleschuk
KYIV, Jan 22 (Reuters) – Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities said on Thursday they were investigating a former border guard chief over bribery allegations, pressing on with a campaign against graft as the fourth anniversary of Russia’s 2022 invasion approaches.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) said the official, who was not named, and two others had taken at least 204,000 euros ($238,780) in kickbacks in exchange for helping facilitate cigarette smuggling into the European Union.
“To hide their activities, the perpetrators used vehicles registered in the Czech Republic and Austria, on which they installed special license plates similar to diplomatic ones,” NABU said in a statement.
It said that a 3,000-euro bribe had been paid for each car. Ukrainian authorities do not identify suspects by name.
Thursday’s probe is the third high-profile investigation announced by the agency over the past week, part of a drive by anti-graft authorities as Ukraine seeks EU membership.
Investigators on Wednesday named a former senior aide in President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office as one of nine suspects in an alleged plot to claim government payments for green energy.
Last week, they accused former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko of running a vote-buying scheme in parliament, a charge she denied.
In November, NABU shocked Ukrainians by announcing details of an alleged $100-million kickback scheme in the energy sector involving a former Zelenskiy associate.
The allegations led to the departure of Zelenskiy’s chief of staff in a wider political overhaul while focusing attention on the size of Ukraine’s task in tackling corruption as Russia’s war in Ukraine drags on.
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(Reporting by Dan Peleschuk, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
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