Ukraine cracks down on corruption schemes: Nine officials convicted over disability certification fraud

In 2024, Ukraine convicted nine officials for large-scale corruption schemes involving the Medical-Social Expertise Commissions. Currently, law enforcement is investigating nearly 2,400 cases related to the illicit acquisition of disability certifications that exempt citizens from military service under Ukrainian law, claimed Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Maliuk. On 22 October, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that many high-ranking officials paid bribes to the Medical-Social Expertise Commission to receive documents confirming disability diagnoses. The Security Service of Ukraine has also uncovered and dismantled eight organized criminal groups, which included representatives of the Medical-Social Expertise Commission from various regions of Ukraine. On 4 October, the State Bureau of Investigation reported that Tetiana Krupa, head of the Khmelnytskyi Regional Medical-Social Expertise Center, and her son, who held a high position in the Pension Fund in Khmelnytskyi, were caught in illegal enrichment schemes. Nearly $6 million in cash was discovered during searches, including $100,000 found in Krupa’s office alone. Subsequently, reports revealed that 50 prosecutors from Khmelnytskyi Oblast had registered as people with disabilities. According to Ukrainian media, Krupa was directly involved in the corruption schemes. Today, President Zelenskyy convened a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council regarding this issue and announced the suspension of the Medical-Social Expertise Commissions from next year.