In Kherson, a contractor is under investigation for embezzling funds during the renovation of a public park

In Kherson, a court granted investigators access to the contractor’s tax and financial documents in a case involving the possible embezzlement of public funds during the renovation of a public square. Law enforcement officials are examining how the work was carried out under two contracts.

This was reported by the Center for Public Investigations.

According to investigators, between 2021 and 2023, funds from the Kherson municipal budget may have been misappropriated during the restoration of landscaping features in Potemkin Square. The total value of the two contracts exceeds 10.2 million hryvnias.

In August 2021, the Department of Municipal Services of the Kherson City Council announced a tender for the major repair and restoration of Potemkin Square at a cost of 14.5 million hryvnias. The winner of the tender was D.I.S. BUD LLC.

During the investigation, law enforcement officials determined that technical supervision of the work was carried out by a sole proprietor whose license had been revoked back in November 2021. At the same time, the contractor continued to submit certificates of completion indicating that technical supervision had been performed.

At the end of 2023, a special commission inspected the site and found that part of the work specified in the contract had not been completed. This was one of the reasons for launching a further investigation.

The court authorized investigators to obtain the company’s registration documents, tax returns, bank account information, tax invoices, audit materials, and other documents for 2021–2023. According to investigators, this data will help determine how budget funds were used.

As Intent previously reported, the company was once headed by Pavlo Kozyrev, the former director of the Department of Civil Protection and Defense Affairs of the Kherson Regional State Administration. He was detained on suspicion of accepting a bribe and subsequently dismissed from his position.

Анна Бальчінос