Mykolaiv closes case on tender collusion in the construction of the Academy of Children's Creativity

The scandalous procurement for the construction of premises for the Academy of Children's Creativity in Mykolaiv ended without a trial on the merits. After several changes of position, the prosecutor's office eventually dropped its claims against the contractor and the utility company, despite the anti-competitive conspiracy established by the AMCU.

This was reported by Nikcenter.

The Mykolaiv District Prosecutor's Office filed a statement with the Commercial Court to withdraw its claim against the Capital Construction of Mykolaiv and the Collective Research and Production Enterprise Tribotechnika. Earlier, the prosecutor's office demanded to invalidate the 2020 contract and recover almost UAH 2.9 million from the contractor to the budget.

It was a tender for the construction of classrooms for the Academy of Children's Creativity. According to the investigation, the bidding took place without real competition, as the only competitor of Tribotechnika was the sole proprietor Natalia Ovsyannikova, the mother-in-law of the company's owner Yurii Klymenko.

In October 2024, the Antimonopoly Committee officially recognized the actions of the bidders as an anti-competitive conspiracy. The prosecutor's office then claimed that the contract was concluded in violation of the principles of fair competition and was contrary to the interests of the state.

However, during the trial, the prosecutor's position changed. At first, the prosecutor asked the court to adjourn to determine the final legal position, and later to suspend the proceedings until the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court decides on another case related to the application of legislation on transactions that are contrary to the interests of the state.

Subsequently, the prosecutor's office filed a motion to withdraw the lawsuit entirely and asked the court to close the proceedings and refund half of the court fee paid. On April 27, the Commercial Court of Mykolaiv Oblast granted the motion and closed the case.

The history of this procurement dates back to 2020. At that time, only two bidders took part in the bidding - Tribotechnika and Ovsyannikova's individual entrepreneur. In 2023, journalists published an investigation that revealed family ties between the bidders and signs of concerted action. In particular, the documents of both bidders had the same printing defects, which could indicate the use of the same printer.

Also in May, one of the largest tenders in the Mykolaiv region was actually awarded without competition. The contract worth 633 million was won by a company that had already been implicated in a criminal case about forged documents and "painted" works.

Анна Бальчінос