Fraud during hospital reconstruction exposed in Mykolaiv region

In Mykolaiv, law enforcement officers are investigating possible price gouging during the reconstruction of the food unit of the Mykolaiv Regional Clinical Hospital to create a transplantation laboratory. According to the investigation, some of the funds could have been embezzled through fictitious certificates of completion.

This was reported by Anti-Corruption Dimension.

According to the court ruling and information on Prozorro, the customer of the work was the Department of Urban Planning, Architecture, Capital Construction and Support of Development Projects of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, and the contractor was Interbud Construction Company LLC. The contract between the parties was concluded in October 2023 for the amount of over UAH 22.2 million. Funding was provided by the regional development budget and a state subvention. Most of the work has already been completed, and part of the funds has been transferred to the company's accounts.

During the inspection, investigators found that the actual scope of work and its cost did not correspond to the data in the reports. In some items, prices for materials were overstated by about half. In addition, the company's director entered false information in the work acceptance certificates, and the documents were signed by the head of the department, who, according to the investigation, acted allegedly in the interests of the contractor. These acts became the basis for the transfer of budget funds.

The Mykolaiv court allowed investigators to obtain temporary access to the originals of all documents related to the execution of contract No. 90, including estimates and certificates of completion of work at the hospital. Investigators plan to appoint construction and handwriting examinations to establish the actual scope of work and verify the authenticity of signatures on financial documents.

If the officials are proven guilty, they face criminal liability under articles on embezzlement of property through abuse of office on a large scale.

Recently, a contract for UAH 28.9 million for the construction of a shelter was awarded without a tender in Mykolaiv, involving a familiar contractor. The company involved in the criminal case of embezzlement during the renovation of a school received a new task - to equip a shelter for the Mykolaiv Regional Clinical Hospital.

Анна Бальчінос