At least UAH 153 million was stolen from the Kyiv budget during the construction of the Podilskyi Bridge - SBU
Kyiv • UNN
The SBU has uncovered the embezzlement of UAH 153 million from the Kyiv budget during the construction of the Podilskyi Bridge. Kyiv City State Administration officials artificially inflated the cost of building materials, including nets for strengthening supports.
During the construction of the Podilskyi Bridge across the Dnipro River in Kyiv, at least 153 million hryvnias were stolen from the city budget. This was reported by the SBU in Telegram, UNN writes.
The SBU and the BEB have established that at least UAH 153 million was stolen from the capital's budget during the construction of the Podilskyi Bridge in Kyiv
In particular, the investigation established that the current and former heads of one of the municipal enterprises under the Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA) are involved in the organization of the "scheme". It was established that even before the start of the full-scale war, they artificially inflated the cost of building materials during the construction of the bridge, and distributed the "difference" among the participants in the scheme.
To this end, in 2018-2019, the figurants "overpaid" almost 6 times for wholesale batches of nets to strengthen the supports of the bridge crossing.
Thus, in order to implement the "scheme", the figurants concluded an agreement with an affiliated construction company in Kyiv. Then the contractors purchased 8,800 technological nets from a subsidiary company in the Middle East.
For comparison, the average cost of a net on the market was 110 US dollars, and the figurants purchased it for 610 dollars per unit.
It is reported that during the searches, the suspects were found and seized computer equipment, mobile phones and documents with evidence of the crime.
The former and current heads of the KCSA municipal enterprise and their accomplice - the former director of the contracting company - have been notified of suspicion under the articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. They are accused of misappropriating budget funds in large amounts by an organized group.
An investigation is currently underway to bring to justice all those involved in the embezzlement of KCSA budget funds. The perpetrators face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.
