Million-dollar overpayments for water supply checked in Posad Pokrovsky

Law enforcement officers uncovered alleged misappropriation of budget funds during the reconstruction of infrastructure facilities in Posad Pokrovskyi. It concerns the reconstruction of the water supply system, where the cost of materials was overestimated, as well as incomplete completion of the work.

This was reported by the Center for Public Investigations.

The investigation focuses on a facility in the village of Posad-Pokrovske of the Chornobaiv community in Kherson district. After the destruction caused by the hostilities, a water supply restoration project was implemented here to provide local residents with basic utilities.

The investigation found that in November 2023, the Infrastructure Restoration and Development Service in Kherson region entered into an agreement with the contractor Agro Construction LLC. The contract provided for a set of works on the construction and restoration of pipelines and related engineering networks.

However, during the procurement analysis conducted by representatives of the public sector, serious inconsistencies were identified. In particular, they found overpricing of construction materials worth more than UAH 3.7 million. There are also suspicions that some of the work was not actually completed, although it was listed as completed in the documents.

Law enforcement officers are also checking information about the possible involvement of unregistered workers by the contractor to reduce costs. At the same time, funding from the budget was carried out in full - in accordance with the signed acts and payment documents.

As part of the pre-trial investigation, a construction and technical expertise has already been appointed. It should determine the actual scope of work performed and establish whether the funds spent correspond to the actual results.

The court allowed the investigators to access a wide range of documentation, including certificates of completion, a general construction log, and design materials with possible adjustments. These documents are expected to become important evidence and help identify those involved in the alleged abuses.

The investigation is ongoing under an article that provides for liability for misappropriation or embezzlement of property on a particularly large scale. Law enforcement officers are checking both the officials who coordinated the work and representatives of the contractor.

Also in April, the court extended the duties of Oleksandr Novokhatskyi, director of Budpostach-STSV. The company was a contractor in the project to reconstruct a shelter - a maternity unit on the territory of the Kherson City Perinatal Center. The contract was signed on August 6, 2024, and its total value exceeded UAH 101 million.

Анна Бальчінос