The defendants in the scandal of overpricing received 654 million from Mykolaiv Regional Insurance Company

The Department of Capital Construction of Mykolaiv Regional State Administration has concluded 19 'secret' agreements for the construction of networks for backup boiler houses worth UAH 654 million.

This is reported by Nikcenter with reference to information in the Prozorro system.

All contracts were signed outside the Prozorro electronic system, and the texts of the contracts and prices for materials were classified as "for official use only. Earlier, the region had already purchased 18 mobile boiler houses for UAH 1.08 billion from the state reserve fund to ensure heat supply to the city in case of shelling. Currently, four contractors have been selected to connect them, two of whom have been involved in corruption scandals.

The largest share of the funds, namely UAH 277.1 million, will go to Mykolaivmiskbud LLC owned by Mykhailo Zhendubayev. This company has already been at the center of a high-profile case for overpricing pipes during the reconstruction of the main water supply system in 2023, which led to the intervention of the prosecutor's office and the revision of contracts.

Nikcenter's investigation also found that six companies owned by Zhendubayev and his associates that had previously received state contracts are now registered to foreign nationals, including students and teachers from Central Asia, making the work of law enforcement much more difficult.

Another contractor, Gasvodmontazh LLC, received UAH 63.5 million. This company was also involved in the pipe scandal, and after the publicity, its owner transferred a significant share of the company to his alleged relatives. The third recipient was the long-term executor of state orders, BC Zhytlopromstroy-8 LLC, which was awarded contracts worth 240.3 million hryvnias. The fourth company, ARCHSITI, LLC, with an authorized capital of only UAH 1000, received UAH 73.4 million. This company was previously mentioned in the criminal case of paying 39 million for a non-existent bridge, for which Oleksandr Nefyodov, deputy director of the DIA department, was convicted.

Officials of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Construction Authority explain the classification of the estimates by the fact that the objects belong to critical infrastructure, and the disclosure of details could threaten security during the war. However, similar procurements in other regions or agencies, such as Ukrenergo or the Recovery Service in Dnipropetrovs'k region, demonstrate greater transparency by publishing at least the prices of construction materials. Experts warn that the use of the restricted access stamp could become a tool for concealing the real cost of work, reminding that similar ''creative findings'' by former department heads have cost them their jobs in the past.

Катерина Глушко