Embezzlement of funds for the repair of a high-rise building revealed in Mykolaiv

In Mykolaiv, possible corruption during the repair of a high-rise building was exposed. The court ordered a re-examination due to conflicting data on the cost of the work performed.

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

A judge in Mykolaiv has ordered a repeat construction and technical expertise in the criminal proceedings against the director of Budtechnologiya-MK. He is accused of misappropriation of budget funds and forgery.

According to the investigation, the company carried out major repairs to the roof of a multi-storey residential building in Mykolaiv under a contract concluded in December 2020 with the Department of Housing and Communal Services of the City Council. The total amount of the contract was over UAH 607 thousand.

Investigators insisted that the contractor had entered false information about the scope and cost of work in official documents (an acceptance certificate and a certificate of value for May 2021). The data did not correspond to reality: the real cost of the work performed was no more than UAH 560,681, which means that the state suffered material damage in the amount of more than UAH 47 thousand.

Payment under the contract was made in June 2021 to the contractor's account. During the pre-trial investigation, it was found that the actual work performed and its accounting in the documents did not match, which led to conflicting expert opinions:

• one construction and technical expert indicated that the amount of work was overstated by more than UAH 47 thousand;
• another expert opinion established that the works were over-executed by more than UAH 117 thousand, including the funds of the condominium.

Due to these significant discrepancies, the prosecutor requested a second expert examination. The court partially granted the motion and ordered the experts of the Odesa Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine to conduct the examination. The experts were warned of criminal liability for improper performance of their duties.

During the court hearing, the defendant pleaded not guilty and considered the appointment of a comprehensive examination inappropriate. The defendant's defense counsel objected to the re-examination, arguing that the previous findings were adequate evidence and that there were no contradictions in the experts' conclusions.

The proceedings were suspended pending the re-examination of the construction and technical expertise. The court ruling is final and not subject to appeal.

The court also recently seized the apartment and three cars of the director of the Graal utility company in Pivdenoukrainsk. He is suspected of misappropriating budget funds through fictitious procurement for the city.

Анна Бальчінос