In Kherson, 3 million was overpaid for shelter due to the negligence of inspectors

More than 3.1 million hryvnias were overpaid from the budget during the construction of a shelter in Kherson. The police believe this could have been avoided if those responsible for oversight had properly checked the work and documentation.

According to the regional National Police press office, in late November 2024, a private construction company signed a contract with the Kherson City Council’s Capital Construction Department to build a fallout shelter on the grounds of a vocational school in the “Tavriyskyi” neighborhood.

Over the course of several months,the contractor submitted documents detailing the work performed and its cost. However, as determined by court-appointed construction and technical experts, the documents overstated both the scope and cost of the work.

As a result, the construction company was overpaid more than 3.161 million hryvnias from the state and city budgets.

Law enforcement officials also determined that two private specialists were supposed to oversee the construction:

• a 42-year-old woman developed the shelter design and was responsible for ensuring the work conformed to the design;
• a 65-year-old man was responsible for technical supervision and the quality of construction.

According to police, they failed to properly fulfill their duties. In particular, they signed documents provided by the contractor without actually verifying the scope or quality of the work performed.

The embezzlement of public funds was uncovered by operatives from the Strategic Investigations Department. Investigators gathered evidence regarding the actions of the two inspectors and completed the pretrial investigation.

They are charged with official negligence resulting in serious consequences. The Kherson District Prosecutor’s Office has already approved the indictments and forwarded them to court.

Under this charge, they face two to five years in prison, as well as other penalties provided by law.

Ірина Глухова