Official and contractor to be tried in Odesa region for embezzlement in port

The BES has brought a case to court over the embezzlement of public funds during the repair of a berth in the Chornomorsk port. An official of the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority and the management of a construction company are accused of forging certificates of completion.

This was reported by the press service of the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine.

Law enforcement officers brought a case of embezzlement of public funds during the repair of a berth in the port of Chornomorsk to court.

Detectives of the Territorial Department of the Bureau of Economic Security in Odesa region completed the investigation and sent an indictment to the court against an employee of the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority and the management of the construction company.

The investigation established that the USPA and the company that was engaged in the repair of port infrastructure entered into a contract for the reconstruction of the berth. Upon completion of the work, the contractor submitted certificates of completion with the cost of materials overstated several times.

According to Serhii Muntyan, Head of the BES in Odesa Oblast, USPA officials, in collusion with the company, signed these documents, which led to the seizure of the state-owned enterprise's property worth almost UAH 2.3 million.

To ensure compensation for damages, the court seized six residential and non-residential properties of the defendants.

Based on the evidence collected, the USPA official was served a notice of suspicion under Part 5 of Article 27, Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (embezzlement or misappropriation of property through abuse of office). The founder of the construction company and her son, who acted as director, are suspected of similar charges, as well as forgery and forgery of documents.

The indictment has already been submitted to the court for consideration.

In June, an official of the USPA and a director of a company in Odesa region were served with suspicion notices for overstating the cost of repairs. The investigation revealed that the company, the main USPA contractor in southern Ukraine and a specialist in current and overhaul repairs of port infrastructure, including hydraulic structures, had entered into a contract with a state agency to repair a berth in one of the ports of Greater Odesa.

Анна Бальчінос