Court blocks investigation into corruption in Mykolaiv region

In Mykolaiv region, a court denied investigators access to samples from a shelter that cost hundreds of thousands of hryvnias to repair. This is a case of possible abuse of office and overstatement of the amount of work performed.

This is evidenced by the ruling of the Voznesensk City District Court.

According to the investigation, in May 2024, a municipal enterprise of the Voznesensk City Council and a private company signed a contract for the maintenance of the shelter. The cost of the work amounted to UAH 847 thousand. The contractor reported that the work had been completed, and the customer signed the relevant acceptance certificates.

However, during the pre-trial investigation, suspicions arose that the actual scope and quality of the work performed may not correspond to the declared scope. In particular, it is a question of possible overstatement of the amount of materials and the cost of work, as well as the absence of some of the declared works. Investigators paid special attention to the fireproofing treatment of wooden structures, which, according to the documents, was carried out, but may not have been performed in fact.

Additionally, it was found that the contractor company did not have a license to carry out fire protection works, which are specialized and subject to state regulation. This further increased suspicions of possible violations.

To verify this information, the investigators planned to take samples of wood from the shelter - special samples for laboratory examination that would establish whether fireproofing treatment had been performed. However, the court denied the motion.

The reason for this decision was that the investigation did not provide sufficient evidence of the need for this measure. In particular, there was no resolution on the appointment of an expert examination or confirmation of an appeal to an expert. The court also concluded that the existence of circumstances that would justify interference with the possession of the facility had not been proven.

The court emphasized that the motion was premature and therefore not subject to satisfaction.

In March, law enforcement officers uncovered a scheme to embezzle budget funds during the reconstruction of a polyclinic in Bereznehuvate, Mykolaiv region. According to the investigation, the former director of the contracting firm embezzled almost 5 million.

Анна Бальчінос