Million-dollar embezzlement at the OPP: HACC allowed special investigation against former MP

The High Anti-Corruption Court has authorized a special investigation against former MP Oleksandr Granovsky in the case of organizing a corruption scheme worth over UAH 90 million. The case concerns the Odesa Port Plant.

This was reported by the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.

"On September 18, 2024, the HACC Appeals Chamber upheld the position of the SAPO prosecutor and granted permission to conduct a special pre-trial investigation (in absentia) against the People's Deputy of Ukraine of the VIII convocation, whom the investigation considers to be the organizer of a criminal scheme, the implementation of which during the sale of mineral fertilizers caused losses to Odesa Port Plant JSC (99.57% owned by the state) in the amount of UAH 93.3 million," the SAPO said in a statement.

The Court of Appeal overturned the decision of the investigating judge of February 23, 2024, which refused to conduct an investigation in the absence of the suspect. This opens up the possibility of completing the pre-trial investigation and referring the case to the court for consideration.

According to the case file, in 2015, MP Hranovskyi, together with his accomplice, organized a scheme under which Odesa Port Plant sold mineral fertilizers to a company at below-market prices. This company resold the fertilizers at market prices, but the deliveries were made by the plant itself. As a result, the company lost UAH 93.3 million.

The suspects include a former deputy director of the plant, a department head, the owner of a foreign company, and a trustee of a deputy. Two of them have already been put on the wanted list, and a special investigation has also been authorized.

In April 2022, the OPP suspended the labor contract with some of its employees due to the Russian invasion. The plant was scheduled to reopen on June 1, 2022, but due to Russian shelling, this did not happen.

In November 2022, the Odesa Port Plant completed the conversion of its production facilities to ship grain to sea for export.

Ірина Глухова