Red Flags in Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office: Millions in U.S. and EU Aid Potentially Misused

Between 2023 and 2024, the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine (OPG) received over $17.5 million USD from the U.S. Government under Projects 5190-1 and 5190-2, and an additional ₴37.6 million UAH in equipment from the European Union through other aid programs.

While these initiatives were formally intended to support judicial reform and digital transformation, official reports and public procurement data indicate that:

• Equipment may have been purchased at highly inflated prices (sometimes more than double the market rate),

• Some items appear unnecessary for prosecutorial work,

• The process may involve conflicts of interest and collusion between OPG officials and aid implementers.

1. Inflated procurement: $1,650 printers vs. $824 market price

According to a monitoring report published by the OPG (March–December 2023), under USAID Project 5190-1, 20 units of Kyocera ECOSYS M5526cdw multifunction printers were procured by IDLO (International Development Law Organization) at ₴59,481.84 UAH per unit — roughly $1,650 USD at the time.

📉 Publicly available pricing data from Ukrainian and international suppliers indicate an average market price of ₴26,424 UAH or approximately $824 USD.

💰 This suggests an overpricing of $847 USD per printer, totaling $16,952 USD in potential overspending on just one line item.

2. $500,000 in questionable server overpricing

In 2024, IDLO delivered ₴160.8 million UAH worth of equipment under Project 5190-2. Only a portion — ₴66.2 million UAH worth of DELL data storage systems — was officially accepted onto the OPG's balance sheet (Order No. 113b, dated August 15, 2024).

🧾 Pricing data from DELL’s official website reveals that comparable systems are available 20–40% cheaper, implying potential overpayment of ₴15–20 million UAH, or up to $500,000 USD.

3. Luxury armored SUV for the former Prosecutor General

Public records indicate that under the same project, an armored REFORM LC300 vehicle (based on a Toyota Land Cruiser 300 Twin Turbo Diesel) was purchased via IDLO for the former Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin at a price of $261,551 USD.

🛑 Market prices for this exact configuration range between $200,000–210,000 USD, suggesting a potential overpayment of at least $51,551 USD.

Kostin reportedly continues to use the vehicle with state security protection, citing legal post-resignation entitlements.

4. Underwater drones and survey boats: for prosecutors?

Under EU-funded Project 5409 ("Support to Justice Sector Reform & Digitalisation – Phase III"), the following items were delivered to OPG:

• CHASING M2 ProMAX underwater drone — ₴335,000 UAH

• “ARASNE-3” hydrographic robot boat — ₴1,900,000 UAH

⚠️ These devices require specially trained operators and regular maintenance. Their relevance to prosecutorial work remains questionable, especially when existing law allows prosecutors to involve specialized agencies (e.g., emergency services) as needed.

Sources suggest that the equipment is not being used and is instead stored unused in OPG facilities.

5. Conflict of interest and coordination concerns

All procurement and aid distribution were coordinated by IDLO, whose Ukraine director Levan Duchidze is known to be a close associate of Zurab Adeishvili, head of the OPG’s International Cooperation Department and former IDLO staff member.

This relationship raises concerns of institutional bias and potential conflict of interest, as all procurement and delivery reports were signed or authorized by Adeishvili.

6. Legal implications

Given that all of the aforementioned funds originated from U.S. and EU taxpayers, and were provided under conditions of transparency, accountability and anti-corruption compliance, the observed red flags may fall under:

• U.S. Foreign Assistance Act compliance (including USAID OIG jurisdiction)

• EU financial regulation violations

• Ukrainian criminal law, including Article 191 (Misappropriation of property by abuse of office)

✅ Conclusions and Recommendations

The following preliminary conclusions can be drawn:

1. There is sufficient evidence to suspect systematic overpricing and procurement manipulation;

2. The necessity and operational use of certain purchased equipment is unjustified;

3. There are indications of collusion between public officials and aid implementers;

4. These actions may amount to criminal offenses, both under national and international law.

📝 We recommend the following actions:

• Independent financial and forensic audit of Projects 5190-1, 5190-2, 5043 and 5409;

• Immediate suspension of all further disbursements to OPG until audit completion;

• Review of IDLO’s role and potential conflicts of interest;

• Referral of this information to the U.S. Office of Inspector General (USAID), OLAF (EU Anti-Fraud Office), and Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU).