US military clothing supplier Sinclair & Wilde has accused Ukraine’s Defense Ministry and the National Police of corruption and bribery, according to an open letter to the National Police posted on the company’s website on Friday. The document states that Sinclair & Wilde had five contracts to supply the Ukrainian Defense Ministry with military uniforms and textiles. The Turkish company acted as a subcontractor.
“Despite receiving all the goods, including the goods under the fifth contract, which originally required 100% prepayment, the Ministry of Defense has resolutely refused to pay $12.5 million under the fifth contract and the remaining 50% of the debt under the first contract. Thus, Sinclair & Wilde did not receive $14.5 million of the $35 million in contracts, despite having delivered all the goods and made significant payments to the Turkish manufacturer,” the letter says.
The company claims that the condition for the refund was the payment of a bribe. “During 2023, several individuals, including those involved in US and Ukrainian investigations, demanded bribes from Sinclair & Wilde to secure payment of the remaining $14.5 million it was owed. Sinclair & Wilde refused and reported these requests to the US and Ukrainian authorities,” the letter says.
“In an effort to comply with the laws of both the United States and Ukraine, Sinclair & Wilde has been bringing bribery and apparent corruption in the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense to the attention of the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, U.S. law enforcement agencies, and Ukrainian law enforcement agencies for over a year. Sinclair & Wilde and the U.S. authorities have provided confidential information to the National Police of Ukraine, including witnesses and evidence that refute the allegations against Sinclair & Wilde,” the letter says.
“The response of the National Police of Ukraine was to leak details of the investigation to the former head of the procurement department of the Ministry of Defense Maksym Hrytsenko and others, endangering the lives of witnesses who cooperated in the process, one of whom is a US citizen,” Sinclair & Wilde said.
“We remain committed to defending Sinclair & Wilde’s rights and clearing them of the recent false accusations by the corrupt National Police, which seems more interested in avoiding payment and covering up its own mismanagement, incompetence and outright corruption deep within the National Police of Ukraine,” the company concludes.
Source: https://bgdlc.com/press-releases/
