Officials of Filatov Institute colluded with suppliers of medical equipment in Odesa

The court arrested the documents of the director of the Filatov Institute in Odesa after searches. Institute officials are suspected of colluding with suppliers to embezzle budget funds.

This is evidenced by the ruling of the Prymorskyi District Court of Odesa.

In Odesa, the court partially granted the prosecutor's request to seize the property of the Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy.

The investigation is investigating a criminal proceeding opened in August 2024 over possible embezzlement of budget funds on a large scale (Part 4 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). According to law enforcement, in 2023-2024, officials of the Filatov Institute concluded contracts for the purchase of medical equipment through the Prozorro system at inflated prices.

In particular, the institute purchased ultrasound surgical systems for soft tissues and ophthalmic microscopes for operating rooms. One of the contracts worth almost UAH 15 million was signed with Sterimed LLC. At the same time, the investigation found that other potential suppliers, such as Volynfarm LLC and Medical Company Medicus LLC, did not actually submit any commercial proposals to justify the expected cost of the procurement.

This aroused suspicion among investigators: there is a possibility of falsification of documents to inflate prices and possible collusion between the Institute's officials and suppliers.

On October 23, 2025, according to a court order, the prosecutor's office searched the office of the institute's medical director. During the investigation, a number of documents, cell phones, and laptops were seized. The prosecutor explained that the seized property is important as evidence in the case and will help establish who made the commercial offers, who signed the contracts, and whether the prices were inflated.

At the same time, the property owners and their lawyers objected to the seizure of individual devices. They argued that the phones and laptops were provided voluntarily and had nothing to do with the procurement.

Prosecutors also provided the court with evidence that during the procurement by the Institute, commercial offers from Volynfarm LLC and Medicus LLC were not actually provided, although they were indicated in the documents to justify the expected cost. Investigators believe this is a sign of possible falsification of documents and collusion between the Institute's officials and suppliers to inflate prices and embezzle public funds.

In turn, the institute's lawyers provided responses from other suppliers who had indeed submitted commercial offers for the supply of similar equipment, but this was not enough to refute suspicions of possible collusion during certain tenders.

The court partially upheld the arguments of the lawyers: the MacBook laptop and iPhone, Xiaomi and Samsung mobile phones will be returned to their owners, while the seizure of documents and other property was upheld.

The investigation is currently ongoing. The main focus is to check the possible overpricing of medical equipment and abuse of public procurement at one of the leading ophthalmological institutes in Ukraine.

Investigators also received a permit to detain an official of the Izmail seaport who signed a contract for the purchase of computer equipment at an inflated price and is suspected of negligence.

Анна Бальчінос