(Nechayansk Lyceum. ILLUSTRATION: DREAM)
The construction of a radiation shelter for the Nechayansk Lyceum in the Mykolaiv region has become the subject of a pretrial investigation. A court ordered the police to file a report regarding the possible embezzlement of nearly 2 million in public funds.
This was reported by the Center for Public Investigations.
The Mykolaiv Central District Court ordered the Main Directorate of the National Police in Mykolaiv Oblast to enter information into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations based on a complaint filed by the civic organization “Platform for Public Control” regarding possible abuses during the construction of the shelter.
As stated in the ruling, in June, the chairman of the board of the civic organization filed a complaint with the police regarding possible criminal offenses under articles concerning abuse of power and embezzlement of property on an especially large scale. Despite this, by mid-July, the information had not been entered into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations, and the complainant had not been notified of the initiation of a pre-trial investigation.
The complaint states that officials from the Department of Urban Planning, Architecture, Capital Construction, and Development Project Support of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, together with representatives of “Interbud” Construction Company LLC, may have organized a scheme to embezzle budget funds by inflating the cost of construction materials and labor.
According to Prozorro, a contract for the construction of a shelter worth 32.8 million hryvnias was signed in October 2024. “Interbud” Construction Company LLC was the sole bidder in the tender.
The police did not send their representatives to court. Instead, they reported in writing that the complaint filed by the civic organization is still under review by the criminal police department. Since the complaint contained sufficient evidence that could indicate a criminal offense, the court granted the complaint and ordered the police to launch a pre-trial investigation.
At the same time, in July, the court dismissed the civil society organization’s complaint regarding officials from the department and “Antares-Bud” LLC, whom the complainant suspected of inflating the cost of materials and labor during the repair of shelter No. 52076 in Mykolaiv.
Анна Бальчінос