The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutorʼs Office (SAPO) exposed an organized group led by the head of the housing and communal services department of the Donetsk Regional Administration.
NABU reports this in a telegram.
The official and his accomplices embezzled more than UAH 140 million allocated for the restoration of heat and water supply in frontline cities.
According to the investigation, in the spring of 2023, the participants in the scheme identified objects for restoration and artificially inflated the cost of equipment and work. They also simulated competition in tenders, ensuring the victory of a controlled company, which was actually managed by the officialʼs classmate.
The company received a contract for over UAH 200 million to install seven modular boiler houses in Selydove and Ukrainsk. Although the boiler houses were delivered, only two were connected and they did not work due to a shortage.
The second stage of the scheme was implemented in Svyatohirsk under the guise of restoring water supply and sewage. Money was transferred for unfinished or shoddily performed work without permits and projects. To hide the violations, the group members forged acts and put pressure on the heads of utility companies.
As a result, the state lost over UAH 140 million, and residents of frontline cities were left without heating and drinking water.
Currently, 5 participants in the transaction have been reported under Part 3 of Article 27 and Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The organizers of the group — the former head of the department and his classmate — have been detained.
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