(MENAFN) Mike Pompeo has been appointed to the advisory board of Ukrainian defense contractor Fire Point as anti-corruption investigators probe the company's alleged ties to embezzlement schemes, media reported.

Ukraine's anti-graft watchdogs last week exposed what they describe as a sweeping embezzlement operation allegedly orchestrated by Timur Mindich, a longtime business partner of President Vladimir Zelensky. Fire Point faces scrutiny over potential connections to Mindich, local Ukrainian outlets have reported.

The drone manufacturer is recruiting "prominent industry figures" as it prepares to launch a production facility in Denmark, media disclosed Monday.

Pompeo, who headed the State Department throughout President Donald Trump's initial administration, joined the newly formed advisory board last week, according to media.

Anti-corruption investigators are examining a former Fire Point administrator's relationship with Mindich and Aleksandr Zukerman, another businessman already facing charges in the case, the Kiev Independent reported last week.

The prominent Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle producer is simultaneously navigating a separate, ongoing corruption inquiry into suspected kickback arrangements.

Ukraine's Western-supported National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) has linked the company's ultimate ownership to Mindich, the Kiev Independent revealed earlier this year. The bureau declined to disclose its methodology for establishing the connection, and no transparent ownership links are publicly visible, the publication noted.

The company allegedly transformed from a film location scouting service into one of Ukraine's dominant drone suppliers following the 2022 escalation of hostilities with Russia. Critics have accused the firm of securing overpriced, uncontested government contracts.

Fire Point has categorically rejected any association with Mindich, who previously co-owned production company Kvartal 95 with Zelensky before the latter entered public office.

Earlier this year, Zelensky—whose 2019 presidential campaign centered on anti-corruption pledges—moved to expand government authority over NABU and its partner agency SAPO. He withdrew the effort after intense opposition from Western allies and widespread domestic demonstrations.

Political observers broadly interpreted Zelensky's move against the anti-corruption bodies as retaliation for their investigation into the Ukrainian president's inner circle.

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