The National Police extradited a woman from the UAE who defrauded Ukrainians of over 50 million hryvnias under the pretext of raising funds for the Armed Forces of Ukraine
National Police of Ukraine extradited from the United Arab Emirates, a woman who is suspected of organizing a large-scale fraudulent scheme under the guise of collecting funds for drones for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The amount of damages exceeded 50 million hryvnias.
The suspect was hiding abroad for a long time, but after an appeal by Ukrainian law enforcement officers, she was detained and handed over for further investigation in Ukraine.
According to the investigation, while abroad, she and her accomplices created a financial pyramid that operated under the guise of supplying drones for the needs of the army. Dozens of volunteer initiatives, charitable foundations, IT companies and thousands of Ukrainians who sincerely sought to help the military were affected. Instead of real supplies, there are fictitious documents, fictitious logistical problems, and fake warranty letters. According to the investigators, the damage is equivalent to the value of more than 600 drones that could work on the front.
The fraud was exposed in February 2024 by employees of the Main Investigation Department and the Department of Criminal Investigation of the National Police. Several co-conspirators were arrested and charged with fraud and money laundering in particularly large amounts (Part 5 of Article 190 and Part 3 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The investigation established that the scheme operated during the summer and fall of 2023. Criminals opened a number of controlled companies and accounts, including cryptocurrency ones, through which they collected funds. At the initial stage, individual orders were indeed fulfilled in order to gain trust. Subsequently, forged contracts were used, allegedly for the supply of fabrics, parts or travel services that were not actually provided.
As part of the investigation, 99 episodes of criminal activity were documented. Dozens of investigative actions were carried out, connections of the participants of the scheme with the UAE, Turkey and Russia were established. The property of those involved was seized: six cars, three apartments, more than 25 bank accounts and 16 crypto wallets. The total value of seized assets exceeds 20 million hryvnias.
Separately, other cases of fraud were also detected: during blackouts, criminals sold non-existent Starlinks, and during fuel shortages, fake gasoline coupons. These episodes are attached to the main proceedings.
Currently, the main organizer is being held in custody. The extradition was provided by the Department of International Police Cooperation of the National Police in coordination with the UAE law enforcement agencies. She is charged with fraud and money laundering in particularly large amounts, which provides for up to 12 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property.
