In Odesa, a contractor is wanted for embezzlement at a military canteen

The construction of a canteen for a military camp in Odesa region has resulted in a lengthy criminal investigation into the alleged embezzlement of public funds. According to the investigation, part of the funding could have been misappropriated before the construction work was completed.

This was reported by the Center for Public Investigations.

The investigation believes that the head of First Quarter LLC illegally seized budget funds during the construction of a canteen in the Dachne-2 military town in Odesa region.

The construction of a defense facility in the village of Dachne is in question. The tender for the work was held in 2017, and the winner was First Quarter LLC, which offered to perform the work for more than UAH 22.9 million. After that, the company entered into a general contract with the Southern Territorial Housing and Maintenance Department.

According to the YouControl analytical system, the company was registered in 2017 with a registered capital of UAH 500 thousand. The company has now ceased operations due to bankruptcy. Its owner and director was Oleksandr Tkachenko.

According to law enforcement, in 2018, the company's director allegedly organized a scheme to misappropriate public funds. Investigators claim that the contractor submitted documents with false information to the customer, such as certificates of completion, certificates and invoices, which overstated the scope of work, the amount of materials and their cost.

The court materials indicate that some of the work may have been incomplete or not performed at all, but the documentation reflected it as completed in accordance with the terms of the contract. According to the investigation, a technical supervision engineer was also involved in the alleged scheme, confirming the compliance of the scope and quality of work.

Investigators estimated that from May to October 2018, more than UAH 21.6 million was transferred to the contractor's accounts. At the same time, according to the investigation, about UAH 3.12 million was paid for work that was not actually performed or was significantly overstated. This amount is considered to be the damage caused to the state budget.

The head of the company was notified of suspicion in April 2020 under articles on misappropriation of property on a large scale and forgery. However, as the court found, the suspect left Ukraine through the Milove checkpoint in the direction of Russia and did not return. Because of this, he was first put on the national and later on the international wanted list.

The defense opposed the prosecutor's request, claiming violations during the serving of the suspicion and the lack of grounds for restrictive measures. However, the judge concluded that the notice of suspicion was served in accordance with the law, and the available materials confirm the validity of the suspicions.

As a result, the prosecutor's motion was granted: after the suspect's detention, he must be taken to court, which will re-determine the measure of restraint within 48 hours.

The auditors found violations during construction at the Dachne-2 military camp back in 2018. The audit showed that at most sites, contractors overestimated the scope of work, which led to unjustified budget expenditures and losses for Pivdenna district heating company. In particular, possible overpayments during the construction of a canteen amounted to UAH 9.5 million.

Also, a colonel of the Odesa KEU was suspected of overpaying for army beds. Law enforcers believe that when concluding the contract, the official failed to analyze the market, check alternative commercial offers, and control the efficiency of the use of budget funds.

Анна Бальчінос