A complaint regarding the misappropriation of funds for a children's shelter was reviewed in Mykolaiv

A court in Mykolaiv heard a complaint against the police. The case concerns possible overpricing of labor and building materials during the construction of a shelter for Kindergarten No. 126. 

The Center for Public Investigations uncovered the details of the case. 

According to the court ruling, the head of the NGO “Platform for Public Control” reported possible violations during the construction of a fallout shelter at 64-b Myru Avenue.

According to the complainant, representatives of the Mykolaiv City Council’s Capital Construction Department and ITC “Mykolaivbud” LLC may have colluded to inflate the prices of materials and the cost of labor. In his view, this could have resulted in the inefficient use and embezzlement of over 2.22 million hryvnias.

The police did not enter the information into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations (URPI), citing a lack of sufficient evidence of a criminal offense. The complainant challenged this inaction in court.

The judge noted that, under Article 214 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine, an investigator must enter the information into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations and initiate an investigation within 24 hours of receiving the complaint. The law does not provide for a preliminary review of the complaint in lieu of entering the information into the registry. The existence or absence of an offense must be determined during the pre-trial investigation.

As reported by Intent, the tender for the construction of the shelter was announced in July. The cost of the work was 98.1 million hryvnias, with funding provided by the EU. Only one company submitted a bid—ITC “Mykolaivbud” LLC.

According to YouControl, the company was registered in Mykolaiv in 2017. Through public procurement, the company has received over 258 million hryvnias, of which more than 98 million is scheduled for 2026.

In 2023, the Mykolaiv City Council filed a lawsuit against the company and the city administration, demanding that the contract for the Embankment renovation be canceled due to exceeding budget limits.

Анна Бальчінос