Ukraine sports officials accused of corrupt medicine scheme

Published Aug. 27, 2019 9:47 a.m. ET

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian security services have accused leading sports officials of buying sham medicine for athletes and misappropriating public funds.

The SBU, Ukraine's domestic security agency, says a top Sports Ministry doctor and others spent 8 million hryvnyas ($310,000) on allegedly deficient medical products or supplements.

The agency adds the medicine had not been checked for compliance with anti-doping rules — and that some products were not medicine at all.

The SBU says the alleged scheme was a cover to embezzle public money.

The suspects have not been named. It is unclear whether any are currently in detention, and the SBU says some suspects are currently unidentified.