Court reopens case on corruption during repair of sports ground in Mykolaiv

The court has resumed consideration of the case on possible overestimation of the cost of repairing a sports ground in Mykolaiv. Experts are to find out whether the damage caused to the state is confirmed.

This is evidenced by the ruling of the Zavodskyi District Court of Mykolaiv.

The court decided to conduct an expert examination of the overhaul of the sports and playground on Kherson Highway in Ingul district, which was carried out in 2021.

The work was ordered by the Department of Housing and Communal Services of Mykolaiv City Council, and ZUMA Ukraine was selected as the contractor. The contract provided for the overhaul of the site, namely the installation of a new pavement and other infrastructure elements.

However, the criminal investigation revealed violations. It was suspected that the contractor had overstated the scope and cost of the work performed.

The court decided to order a comprehensive construction, technical, and economic examination to find out whether the work actually performed complied with the project documentation and estimates. The experts should also establish whether there was an unjustified transfer of funds to the contractor in excess of the actual costs.

A decision was made to appoint an expert examination, posing several questions to the experts:

• Do the works actually performed correspond to the scope and cost specified in the project documentation and primary acts of work performed?
• Was the cost of the work overstated by more than 25% compared to market prices for similar work?
• Is the material damage in the amount of more than UAH 246 thousand, which the state suffered due to the overestimation of the scope of work, confirmed?

The judge allowed the experts from Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise to obtain additional documents to verify how the work on the sports ground was performed. Following the experts' request, the case was reopened and the investigation is ongoing.

Also in Mykolaiv region, law enforcement officers are investigating possible corruption during the repair of the roof at Novodesk Lyceum No. 1. The work, worth more than UAH 4 million, may have been accompanied by overpricing of materials. In addition, the court placed an official of the Ochakov Department of Education and Humanitarian Affairs, who is suspected of embezzling budget funds, under house arrest.

Анна Бальчінос