Contractor exposed in Odesa region for misappropriation of funds for school repairs

In Odesa region, the court allowed the detention of the director of a construction company. He is suspected of misappropriating funds from the city budget during the renovation of a school.

This is stated in the ruling of the Berezovsky District Court of Odesa Oblast.

The court granted permission to detain the director of a private firm, whom the investigation suspects of misappropriating budget funds and forgery during the repair of the roof of the Ivanivka B.F. Derevianko Lyceum. The suspect is to be forcibly brought to court to consider a motion to impose a pre-trial restraint in the form of detention.

The prosecutor 's petition concerned the director of ElitMegabud LLC, who, according to the case file, is also the founder of the company. The investigation established that in 2021, the education department of the Ivanivka village council announced a tender for the overhaul of the roof of a local general secondary education institution. The winner was a company run by the suspect, with whom a contract worth UAH 1.86 million was signed.

In October of the same year, the company's director, according to the investigation, entered false information in the acts of work performed. These included the installation and dismantling of scaffolding and the installation of roofing crates, which were not actually performed. Nevertheless, he handed over the documents to the customer, certifying them with his signature.

Based on these acts, UAH 301.5 thousand of budget funds were transferred to the contractor's account, which, as investigators found out, were paid without any basis. This is the amount indicated as damages to the Ivanivka village council.

The judge took into account the fact that the suspect did not respond to calls and was in an unidentified place. Therefore, the judge allowed the suspect to be detained to ensure his appearance for the imposition of a preventive measure.

The police also opened an investigation into possible abuses during the reconstruction of the outpatient clinic in Zatyshche. The investigation is checking whether officials of the medical facility may have violated their official duties when extending the contract with the contractor, which may have caused the delay.

Анна Бальчінос