Iraqi Probe Finds Ukraine Delivered Low-Quality APCs

Ukraine has come under fire after a senior Iraqi official accused the country of delivering low-quality armored personnel carriers and breaching the delivery terms of a contract signed in 2009.

“A probe into Ukrainian arms deliveries to Iraq revealed corruption with regard to Part 3 of the contract, concerning the sale of 420 armored personnel carriers, of which only about 100 have been delivered to date despite the fact that the contract was ratified several years ago,” Shiwan Muhammad Taha, a member of the Iraqi parliament’s security and defense commission, said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

All the BTR-4 vehicles delivered so far have “very old, rusty bodies,” he said, adding that “the machines are dysfunctional.”

The Iraqi parliament has urged the government to set up a special committee to investigate the contract’s implementation and sue those responsible, Taha said.

Ukraine has yet to comment on the matter. Earlier this month, Iraq’s parliamentary anticorruption commission circulated an in-house report on violations revealed in the implementation of the Ukrainian-Iraqi arms contract, including the $456 million BTR-4 deal, reported Ria Novosti.

Iraq signed a contract worth $2.4 billion with Ukraine in 2009 for the delivery of armored vehicles, aircraft and related equipment, and precision guided weapon systems, as well as the provision of modernization and maintenance services. The contract has been on the verge of termination several times over delivery delays.