Mykolaiv region purchased pellets from an entrepreneur accused of corruption

In Mykolaiv region, the company purchased fuel pellets from an entrepreneur involved in a corruption case since 2014. The same fuel is much cheaper on the market.

This was reported by Anti-Corruption Dimension.

The Department of Education and Sports of the Yelanets Village Council in Mykolaiv Oblast signed an agreement on the purchase of fuel pellets from sunflower husks without holding an open tender. The contract value was over UAH 970 thousand, and the supplier was sole proprietor Tkachyk O.P., who has been a defendant in a corruption case for ten years.

The institution purchased 121 tons of pellets for budgetary funds at a price of over UAH 9.6 thousand per ton, including VAT. At the same time, similar fuel could have been purchased on the market much cheaper - at prices ranging from 2,500 to 6,500 UAH. However, officials decided to buy the fuel at a much higher price.

Screenshot: Prozorro

Oleh Tkachyk, registered as an individual entrepreneur in 2017, specializes in accounting, auditing and tax consulting. Previously, according to the Clarity Project analytical platform, he headed the regional utility Oblpalyvo, which is currently in liquidation. Tkachyk is also associated with a low-level company that regularly supports government contracts worth millions of hryvnias.

The embezzlement case, in which Oleh Tkachyk is one of the defendants, has been pending in the Central District Court of Mykolaiv for more than 10 years, and, as journalists note, the process is significantly delayed.

This is not the first time that Mykolaiv Oblast has been involved in overpriced procurement. Recently, the construction of a shelter for a lyceum in Pivdenoukrainsk was found to be overpriced by millions. The Department of Urban Development, Architecture and Capital Construction of Mykolaiv Regional State Administration selected a contractor to build a shelter at Lyceum No. 4. The tender was won by First Ukrainian Construction LLC, which was awarded a contract worth UAH 70.7 million.

Also, a company with a dubious reputation was entrusted with the renovation of a kindergarten in Mykolaiv region worth UAH 16 million. The tender was held without a competitive procedure, and only one company, Antares-BUD LLC, was awarded the contract. This company has repeatedly been the subject of journalistic investigations and has been involved in criminal cases, as well as being found to be overcharging for materials.

Анна Бальчінос