Nikolaev Officials Suspected of Embezzling ₴6M in Overpriced

A case of misappropriation of budget funds is being investigated in Mykolaiv. Utility companies and entrepreneurs are suspected of overcharging for the purchase of street lighting fixtures. The court seized the property of one of the defendants in the case.

This was reported by the Center for Public Investigations with reference to the decision of the Zhovtnevyi District Court of Mykolaiv region.

The Security Service of Ukraine established that officials of the self-supporting construction mechanization unit (SSMU), in collusion with representatives of the private company Promenergosnab, overstated the cost of lamps supplied to the city. The procurement was carried out through controlled intermediary firms, which allowed them to inflate the price and misappropriate budget funds.

We are talking about two contracts: in May 2023, 6019 lamps were purchased for UAH 44.7 million, and in December - another 2990 units for more than UAH 26 million. The total amount of payments to the private company exceeded UAH 70 million. According to the findings of the tax service's examination, the goods were purchased at inflated prices, which caused budget losses of more than UAH 6 million.

One of the suspects is the founder and owner of several companies: "OSD, Marketex, IvaservisYug, and Electromontazh-Tekhservis. According to the investigation, these companies were used to implement the overpricing scheme. During the search, the police seized laptops, a mobile phone, a hard disk, a notebook and cash - EUR 1,410 and UAH 137,500. The court seized the equipment and documents, but refused to seize the money.

The pre-trial investigation is ongoing: law enforcement officers are identifying all those involved in the misappropriation of funds during martial law.

The investigator has also recently filed a motion with the court to seize the property of the director of SEES, who is suspected of embezzling more than half a million hryvnias from the local budget together with an official of the GDMB. The criminal proceedings were opened on January 4, 2024, over the embezzlement of budget funds by employees of the utility company and representatives of a private company.

In addition, in Mykolaiv region, law enforcement officers are investigating a large-scale scheme of fraud in medicine. Employees of local municipal healthcare facilities have been systematically forging medical records for several years. According to the investigation, they entered false data into the electronic healthcare system, making it appear that non-existent citizens (the so-called"dead souls") had signed declarations with doctors or received medical services.

Анна Бальчінос