Mykolaiv schools and dormitories were renovated at inflated prices

In Mykolaiv, repairs to schools and dormitories are being checked on suspicion of overpricing. Investigators have gained access to documents to find out where the money went.

This is evidenced by the decision of the Central District Court of Mykolaiv.

The judge granted prosecutors temporary access to the documents of a company that carried out repairs and reconstruction of local infrastructure. The case involves several contracts worth tens of millions of hryvnias, which may have inflated the scope and prices of work and equipment.

According to the court, it is about reconstructing a part of the basement of one of the buildings of an educational institution to accommodate a shelter. Under the 2024 contract, the company received almost UAH 20 million, and after inspections, it turned out that part of the funds - more than UAH 2.8 million - could have been spent inefficiently: the scope of work and prices of materials, as well as technical supervision services, were overstated.

As stated in the ruling, this is not the only case where the company has been overcharged. For example, in 2024 and 2023, the same company carried out major repairs of buildings and canteens in other educational institutions in the Mykolaiv region. An analysis of the contracts showed significant discrepancies between the prices of equipment in the contracts and market offers: for example, marmites and ovens were 1.5-4 times more expensive in the documents than those of other suppliers.

The court granted prosecutors and investigators the right to seize the company's documents: contracts, estimates, certificates of completion, payment orders, executive schemes, photos and videos. According to law enforcement, they are needed to conduct construction and technical examinations and establish the real cost of works and materials. If the documents are not provided voluntarily, investigators will obtain a search warrant. The ruling comes into force immediately and is not subject to appeal.

In October, the Mykolaiv Regional Prosecutor's Office served a notice of suspicion to a 44-year-old director of a private enterprise for misappropriating budget funds during the repair of the facade of a hospital in the Bashtanka district. The investigation found that the contractor had deliberately overstated the scope of work and entered false information in the completion certificates, thus illegally receiving UAH 4.9 million from the state budget.

Анна Бальчінос