Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities said on Thursday they were investigating a former border guard chief over bribery allegations, pressing on with a campaign against graft as the fourth anniversary of Russia's 2022 invasion approaches.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) said the official, who was not named, and two others had taken at least 204,000 euros ($238,780) in kickbacks in exchange for helping facilitate cigarette smuggling into the European Union. Ukrainian authorities do not identify suspects by name.
"To hide their activities, the perpetrators used vehicles registered in the Czech Republic and Austria, on which they installed special license plates similar to diplomatic ones," NABU said in a statement.
It said that a 3,000 euro bribe had been paid for each car.
Thursday's probe is the third high-profile investigation announced by the agency over the past week, part of a drive by anti-graft authorities as Ukraine seeks EU membership.
Investigators on Wednesday named a former senior aide in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office as one of nine suspects in an alleged plot to claim government payments for green energy.
Last week, they accused former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko of running a vote-buying scheme in parliament, a charge she denied.
In November, NABU shocked Ukrainians by announcing details of an alleged $100 million kickback scheme in the energy sector involving a former Zelenskyy associate.
The allegations led to the departure of Zelenskyy's chief of staff in a wider political overhaul while focusing attention on the size of Ukraine's task in tackling corruption as Russia's war in Ukraine drags on.
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