Officials mixed up in illegal arms exports should be made accountable

02.04.2010 Source: RIA Novosti, photo: Faina (boston.com)

Persons responsible for illegal arms exports from Ukraine should be brought to book, stated Valery Konovaliuk, Ukrainian MP.

In 2008 Ukrainian company Ukrspetsexport which is in-charge for arms export happened in the middle of scandal related to arms deliveries to Georgia prior to and during South Ossetian conflict. Russian authorities accused Kiev of illegal arms exports to Tbilisi; Ukrainian parliamentary committee led by MP Valery Konovaliuk also registered violation of laws and international rules.

"Doubtful shady dealings have resulted in the fact that Ukrainian budget loses enormous funds. Hopefully, having elected new president we won't only get this sphere under control but make responsible those who had been building shady arms business for years", said Konovaliuk on TV bridge Moscow-Kiev arranged by RIA Novosti.

According to Konovaliuk, during recent years Ukraine had been assigning 'huge sums' to Egypt 'for building of a warship'.

"Instead of strengthening national navy, we appropriated money under fictitious contracts to Egypt", said the member of Ukrainian parliament.

One of the scandals around Ukrainian arms was pirate hijacking of Ukrainian vessel Faina off Somalia in 2008. There were 33 tanks T-72 and other arms on board; according to some sources, those weapons were carried to Kenya.

Pirates set the ship free on Feb 2009 when they got a ransom. Shortly after capture of Faina the information emerged in media that the arms were actually carried to Sudan where civil war is on. One of the reasons was the fact that Kenya has no Soviet weapons. Both Kiev and Nairobi strongly refused this information.