Defendant in embezzlement case may receive 100 million at Kherson children's hospital

A firm suspected of misappropriating budget funds has won a new tender for the reconstruction of a children's hospital in Kherson. This is the company that has already disrupted the repair of an outpatient clinic in Davydovyi Brod and is involved in a case of abuse during work at a hospital in Mariupol.

According to the Center for Public Investigations, citing Prozorro, a tender for the reconstruction of the Kherson Regional Children's Clinical Hospital was announced in late May. It is planned to renovate the reception area and diagnostic unit, creating a modern emergency department with a CT scanner. The cost of the works amounted to UAH 108.4 million.

The previous tender had to be canceled due to violations - the client did not indicate that the project was being implemented under the EU's Ukraine Facility program and did not specify the mandatory terms of the framework agreement.

Three companies applied for the repeat tender: "Automagistral-Zakhid, PMK No. 132, and New Heat Technologies. The latter won - its offer was 11.6 million lower than the expected cost.

Screenshot: Prozorro

According to YouControl, New Heat Technologies is registered in Zaporizhzhia, has six licenses and an authorized capital of UAH 36 thousand. The founder is Maksym Lobintsev from Donetsk. The company has been on the public procurement market since 2016, with a total amount of won tenders exceeding UAH 526 million.

In June 2024, a court in Dnipro considered a case of possible misappropriation of budget funds by the company during the repair of a hospital in Mariupol. The case concerned the events of 2020-2021, when the company allegedly overestimated the scope of work or the cost of materials. The case was classified under Part 4 of Art. 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - misappropriation of property on a large scale. The court allowed the criminal proceedings to be reopened.

Screenshot: YouControl

The company also received a contract for the reconstruction of an outpatient clinic in the village of Davydiv Brid, the same medical facility where it was unable to complete the work on time. In March 2024, the department announced the start of construction of the outpatient clinic in Davydiv Brod and signed a contract with New Heat Technologies LLC. The company was supposed to complete the work by the end of the year, but failed to fulfill its obligations. As a result, the department was forced to announce a new tender.

Анна Бальчінос