Embezzlement of over UAH 128 million for Kharkiv's reconstruction - case sent to court

The prosecutor of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, based on the materials of the pre-trial investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, has sent an indictment to the court against the members of an organized group. They are suspected of involvement in the embezzlement of millions of funds, including those from international partners, intended for the restoration of critical infrastructure in the city of Kharkiv. This was reported by UNN with reference to SAP.

Details

The investigation established that since April 2022, the defendants embezzled funds from a municipal enterprise and funds from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which were intended for the restoration and development of Kharkiv region's urban infrastructure.

The suspects include an influential businessman, as well as officials of the municipal enterprise "Kharkiv Heat Networks." Among them is the first deputy general director of the enterprise; the group also included a number of controlled individuals.

The perpetrators arranged for direct contracts to be concluded with controlled companies for the supply of pipe products, windows, and technical salt to the municipal enterprise "Kharkiv Heat Networks." In doing so, the participants in the scheme did not hesitate to use the conditions of martial law as an excuse not to conduct open tenders

According to the investigation, the controlled "winner" of the procurements, through a number of intermediary firms, ensured the purchase of products directly from the manufacturer and resold them to the municipal enterprise at significantly inflated prices.

During these schemes, the defendants used forged documents and provided documentary justification for the artificial overpricing of the supplied products.

As a result of these procurements, the municipal enterprise suffered losses totaling UAH 128.2 million, which the participants in the crime embezzled and disposed of at their own discretion. It should be noted that part of these funds, namely UAH 22 million, was provided by the World Bank (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development) and was intended for the development of urban infrastructure

The actions of the criminals are classified under the following articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:

• Part 4 of Art. 358 (Forgery of documents);
• Part 5 of Art. 191 (Embezzlement, misappropriation of property or acquisition thereof by abuse of official position);
• Part 2 of Art. 28 (Commission of a criminal offense by a group of persons, a group of persons by prior conspiracy, an organized group or a criminal organization).

Recall

Law enforcement officers uncovered a large-scale scheme for the embezzlement of sunflower and corn harvests from state institutions belonging to the structure of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine. A people's deputy, who was previously accused of receiving a bribe of 85 thousand dollars from an agrarian, as well as a deputy of the Kyiv Regional Council, are involved in organizing the scheme.