The former director of the Zhytomyr Armored Vehicle Plant has been sentenced

The High Anti-Corruption Court has handed down a verdict against Serhiy Butenko, the former head of the Zhytomyr Armored Vehicle Plant. The former official pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors. 

The court’s press service reported on the details of the ruling, which is based on an investigation into events from 2014.

According to the verdict, Butenko was sentenced to eight years in prison; however, under the plea agreement, he was released from serving the main sentence with a two-year probation period. He is also prohibited from holding management positions at state-owned enterprises for three years. In addition to legal restrictions, the convicted individual agreed to transfer 12 million hryvnias to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and to reimburse the plant for losses amounting to 5.76 million hryvnias.

The case concerns the illegal removal from storage of 20 engines for armored vehicles from the mobilization reserve in the fall of 2014. The property, which belonged to the State Reserve, was effectively seized and used by the plant’s management at their own discretion during a critical period for the country. The High Anti-Corruption Court’s verdict underscores the inevitability of accountability for abuses in the defense sector, even after a significant period of time has elapsed, which is particularly important during the Russian Federation’s full-scale aggression. The verdict may be appealed within one month.