A private lab, led by the head of the State Drug Service and an SBU officer, will investigate medications in Ukraine, according to the ongoing investigation.

The private laboratory "Dobrobut-Likilab" received numerous orders from the State Service of Ukraine for Medicines immediately after its registration. However, journalists discovered that this laboratory was established by associates of the head of the State Drug Service.

This information is detailed in an investigation by Bihus.Info. It is noted that the official owners of the laboratory are Dmitry Ustik and Irina Ponomarenko, who previously worked in the construction sector.

"Ustik himself stated in a conversation with journalists that he does not understand the expertise because he is 'not a chemist' and advised them to reach out to other employees. At the same time, the owners introduced the journalists to the head of the State Drug Service, Roman Isaenko, and SBU employee Valentina Ovrants, whose areas of work have included pharmaceuticals and the State Drug Service at least until 2023," the journalists reported.

It is noted that Ustik once worked on a project for Ovrants' family, and Ponomarenko is connected to Isaenko as their families hail from the same village.

Additionally, journalists learned that the laboratory is registered in a property owned by Ovrants' mother-in-law. Investigators also point out that after the laboratory's launch, Ovrants' family began acquiring expensive assets, including a house in Kyiv, a plot near Bukovel, and properties in the suburbs of Kyiv.

The SBU stated that the assets were purchased with funds from a business the family has operated for several generations, but the authors of the report could not confirm this information.

As previously reported, Ukrainians are increasingly expressing their concerns over the lack of transparency in governance and corruption schemes within government structures. Meanwhile, public pressure on the government to combat corruption continues to grow.