In Odessa, officials and contractors have been accused of collusion in the reconstruction of buildings

Authorities in Odesa have reported a possible scheme involving the misuse of public funds during the restoration and repair of apartment buildings. City council officials and five construction companies may have been involved, and the total value of the purchases in question amounted to nearly 82.9 million hryvnias. 

The Center for Public Investigations looked into the details of the case.

The head of the NGO “Non-Stop Ukraine” filed a complaint with the Odesa Regional Prosecutor’s Office regarding possible criminal offenses. The alleged offenses included embezzlement, money laundering, tax evasion, forming a criminal organization, official misconduct, bribery, and evading mobilization. 

He stated that the head of the Odesa City Military Administration, his first deputy, the acting mayor of Odesa, the deputy mayor, as well as the heads of the departments of architecture and land relations and finance of the Odesa City Council could have been involved in the alleged scheme. 

The statement also mentioned “Stroy-Invest-Group-7” LLC, “RBD ‘Odesgolovpostach’” PJSC, “BK Deluxe Development” LLC, “Interbud” Construction Company LLC, and “Stikon” LLC.

According to the complainant, the alleged scheme may have involved the procurement of services for the restoration, emergency repairs, and major renovations of apartment buildings. He pointed to the possible use of non-competitive procedures, discriminatory requirements for participants, and the overpricing of materials in cost estimates.

The prosecutor’s office did not enter the information into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations, after which the complainant appealed to an investigating judge. He requested that law enforcement be ordered to initiate a pre-trial investigation.

Also in September, the Bureau of Economic Investigations (BEI) uncovered a possible embezzlement of budget funds by officials of the Odesa City Council and contractors during work carried out as part of the city’s“Barrier-Free Odesa” program. 

Анна Літман