In Odesa, a city council official is suspected of misconduct during the restoration of a children's center

Government-funded construction projects often come under scrutiny by law enforcement agencies due to corruption. This time, the investigation concerns the restoration of one of Odesa’s children’s facilities.

This was reported by Intent, citing the Khadzhibey District Court of Odesa.

Detectives from the Bureau of Economic Security (BEB) in the Odesa region are investigating the abuse of office by the head of the productionTechnical Department of the Capital Construction Directorate of the Odesa City Council during the restoration of the building housing the Odesa Center for Children’s and Youth Creativity “Dyvosvit.”

According to the investigation, in August 2020, the Capital Construction Department entered into a contract with “Odesmiskbud” LLC to carry out repair and restoration work to reinforce the foundations of the children’s center building. The total value of the contract was over 46.3 million hryvnias.

The official, who headed the production and technical department of the Capital Construction Department, was assigned to oversee technical supervision at this site. According to the investigation, in late 2020, she discovered that the contractor had not completed all the work specified in the design and cost estimate documentation and reported this to the department’s management. However, law enforcement officials allege that she subsequently agreed to sign certificates of completion containing false information.

Throughout December 2020, as well as during 2021 and August 2022, the official signed a series of certificates and other documents containing false information regarding the scope and cost of the work actually performed. Based on the results of the investigation, law enforcement officials determined that the documents overstated the volume of construction work, materials used, and structures by more than 12.1 million hryvnias. Based on these documents, the funds were unjustifiably transferred to the contractor. Law enforcement officials consider this exact amount to be the losses incurred by the Odesa territorial community.

In June, the official was notified of her status as a suspect in the abuse of official position. The criminal case is also being investigated under articles concerning embezzlement of property and official forgery.

While considering the motion, the court concluded that there were sufficient grounds to seize the suspect’s real estate, as the penalties under the alleged charges provide for the possibility of confiscation. As a result, the court seized the apartment, which is privately owned by the official.

Also in June, a 20-million procurement for the municipal enterprise “Odesa City Heat Supply” came under the scrutiny of law enforcement agencies due to possible overpricing of materials. An expert assessment showed that the market price of most of the goods could have been several times lower than the amount specified in the contract.

Анна Бальчінос