In Odesa, two former officials will stand trial for overpaying 12 million for beds for the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Employees of the State Bureau of Investigations have completed a pretrial investigation into two former heads of the Odesa Housing and Maintenance Department, who are suspected of causing more than 12 million hryvnias in losses to the state during the procurement of beds for military personnel. The indictment has already been filed with the court.

This was reported by the SBI.

According to the investigation, beginning in 2023, the officials purchased beds for military personnel at significantly inflated prices and failed to ensure proper verification of the economic justification for their cost.

Forensic examinations confirmed that these purchases caused losses to the state budget totaling over 12 million hryvnias. The State Bureau of Investigation emphasizes that these funds could have been used for other defense needs in Ukraine.

One of the suspects is charged with negligence in military service, which caused substantial harm under martial law (Part 4 of Article 425 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

Another is charged with abuse of official position (Part 1 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

The Odesa Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Defense in the Southern Region oversaw the proceedings in the case.

Earlier, the head of the Odesa Housing and Maintenance Department was taken into custody. He is suspected of negligence in military service and causing losses to the state budget during the procurement of military beds for the army.

The investigation established that on January 19, 2023, the colonel signed a contract with the company “Elkon-Design” for the supply of 1,071 army bunk beds worth nearly 6 million hryvnias. According to law enforcement estimates, the state allegedly overpaid by more than 2 million hryvnias.

In March 2023, the colonel entered into another contract with the same company for the supply of 2,130 military bunk beds and field cots for nearly 30 million hryvnias. The market value of the purchased beds was significantly lower, resulting in an overpayment of nearly 9.3 million. In total, according to the investigation, the colonel’s negligence caused the state to suffer losses of over 17 million hryvnias.

Андрій Колісніченко