Long-time top manager of Kharkiv Aircraft Plant charged with corruption again

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau has pressed charges in absentia against the former acting Director of Kharkiv State Aircraft Manufacturing Company Ihor Suntsov, the website of the Bureau reports.

The investigation claims that in September-October 2014, the suspect signed a contract with a front company from Poland to purchase auxiliary systems for the American and French-made An-74T-200A aircraft. Kharkiv Aircraft Plant made a prepayment, but never received the ordered goods.

Later, in February 2017, in order to cover up the embezzlement, the suspect allegedly falsified documents related to the delivery dates of the systems, extending the contract until December 31, 2017.

This is the second episode that NABU incriminates the former head of the Kharkiv Aircraft Plant. In 2021, he was served a notice of suspicion of embezzlement of $1.92 million and 553,000 euros and declared wanted.

According to the information available to the investigation, the suspect is in the occupied territory and may be working as the deputy head of the occupied part of Zaporizhzhya oblast for infrastructure issues. The suspicion was reported to him in absentia.

• Suntsov headed the Kharkiv State Aircraft Manufacturing Company in 2015-2017. Before that, he worked at the company as the first deputy general director since 2009.