Contractor and engineer suspected of embezzlement at museum renovation in Kherson region

An audit of the procurement of work to restore a museum in Kherson Oblast revealed overpricing of the work. Investigators opened a case on embezzlement and forgery.

This was reported by the Center for Investigative Journalism with reference to the ruling of the Velyko Oleksandrivskyi District Court.

During the inspection of the procurement of works to restore the war-damaged museum in the village of Vysokopillya, Beryslav district, Kherson region, an overestimation of the cost by almost 140 thousand hryvnias was revealed. Investigators opened criminal proceedings over this fact under Part 4 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (embezzlement or misappropriation of property through abuse of office) and Part 1 of Article 366 (forgery).

According to the investigation, financial violations amounting to UAH 137.6 thousand were found during the inspection of the procurement of works to restore the museum damaged as a result of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation. These are construction and repair works, the contract for which was signed on December 21, 2023, by the municipal institution "Vysokopilskyi Museum of Local Lore" with LLC "Construction and Restoration".

On December 26, 2023, the customer, the contractor and the technical supervision engineer signed an acceptance certificate for the work performed for a total amount of almost UAH 1.9 million. The director of the LLC is suspected of entering false data on the scope of work in official documents, and the technical supervision engineer signed the act without checking the actual performance of the work.

Construction and Restoration LLC was registered in Dnipro on December 14, 2022. Its director and owner is Yuriy Lyakhovych, who previously appeared in the media for stealing a bottle of Yehermeister liquor from an ATB store in 2018.

In the Kherson region, the company received contracts without competition for emergency repairs to residential buildings damaged by the war, particularly in the Vysokopilska and Velyko Oleksandrivska communities.

Cases of contractors overcharging for work or being involved in corruption cases are not uncommon. In June, the construction of a shelter for a kindergarten in the village of Bobrovyi Kut in Kherson Oblast was awarded to a Kharkiv-based company that was the only bidder. This company has already appeared in journalistic investigations and in a criminal case about possible collusion with educational institutions to embezzle budget funds.

Анна Бальчінос