Mykolaiv exposes utility companies on fake deliveries

Suspicions of large-scale embezzlement of budget funds led investigators to the documents of the utility company, where the figures do not match reality. This is a scheme where prices for goods were inflated "from the ceiling" to extract extra millions from the budget.

This is stated in the ruling of the South Ukrainian City Court.

The judge granted prosecutors and investigators temporary access to the documents of the utility company as part of criminal proceedings regarding the possible misappropriation of local budget funds.

According to the investigation, officials of the utility company may have acted in collusion with representatives of private companies. The scheme allegedly consisted of documenting the supply of goods in much larger volumes than was actually possible.

In particular, it was established that under one of the contracts the company was to receive hundreds of meters of steel pipes worth more than UAH 900 thousand. At the same time, according to tax registers, the supplier owned only a small part of these products at that time. A similar situation was recorded under another contract for more than UAH 3.8 million, where the actual balances of the goods also did not correspond to the declared volumes.

Investigators believe that official documents may have contained false information about the volume of deliveries, movement of goods and their use. This, in turn, could have resulted in unjustified transfer of budget funds. The total amount of possible losses, according to preliminary estimates, is about UAH 1.6 million.

The court ruling authorized the seizure of a wide range of documents: from accounting and warehouse records to shipping invoices, work completion certificates and internal correspondence. The investigation will also have access to documents that define the powers of officials involved in the conclusion and execution of contracts.

Law enforcement officials emphasized that the seizure of the original documents is important for conducting examinations - economic, commodity and, if necessary, handwriting. They also did not rule out the risk of altering or destroying the documents, so the motion was considered without summoning the company's representatives.

Also under investigation was the chief specialist of the urban planning and architecture department of the executive committee of the Pervomaisk City Council, whose decisions not only led to multimillion-dollar expenses but also actually jeopardized the stable heat supply for residents.

Анна Бальчінос