NABU investigates schemes worth tens of millions around Reni seaport

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) is conducting an investigation into alleged corrupt practices by officials of the Regional Office of the State Property Fund of Ukraine (SPFU), which, according to the investigation, caused losses to the state budget in the amount of over UAH 81 million.

This became known from the decision of the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court.

According to the investigation, after the expiration of the lease agreements for state property in August 2021, officials of the Regional Office of the State Property Fund of Ukraine deliberately failed to extend the lease or return the objects to the balance holder. Instead, they imitated preparations for the lease of objects through electronic auctions and artificially delayed the process by issuing unreasonable orders to cancel the auctions.

These actions created preconditions for the private enterprise ReniLis to use state property outside the legal framework. As a result, the state lost UAH 81,829,483.35, of which more than UAH 57 million belongs to the state budget and about UAH 24.5 million to the state enterprise Reni Sea Commercial Port.

According to the investigation, one of the ultimate beneficial owners of ReniLis PE, which also won electronic auctions for the lease of two warehouses in the port of Reni in October 2022, may be involved in the crime. These facilities, which are on the balance sheet of the port, continue to be used within the framework of legal relations that, according to the investigation, do not comply with the law.

Earlier, Intent wrote that the state enterprise Reni Sea Commercial Port is accused of abuse of monopoly position.

Meanwhile, the State Enterprise "Reni Sea Commercial Port" has selected a contractor for the current repair of the port fence of the Third Cargo District. The procurement was conducted in the format of an open tender with special features and the USPA's chosen contractor, Prima-Stroy LLC, had no competitors.

Earlier, state auditors failed to inspect the procurement of the Reni branch of the State Enterprise "Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority" for the repair of berth No. 29 for a total of UAH 14.3 million.

This is not the first attempt by the Southern Office of the State Audit Service to find out the legality of spending by state-owned maritime enterprises. Earlier, auditors failed to conduct scheduled state financial control measures at the State Enterprise Commercial Sea Port Chornomorsk and the State Enterprise Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Commercial Sea Port.

Андрій Колісніченко