Nearly UAH 5 million in damages instead of critical infrastructure repair: scheme organizer and accomplice to face trial

 The organizer and executor of a scheme to embezzle funds from a state enterprise during the repair of the Odesa Port railway infrastructure will stand trial. Detectives of the Territorial Office of the ESBU in the Odesa region have completed the pretrial investigation.

According to the investigation, in 2023, the founder and ultimate beneficial owner of a private company organized a scheme to embezzle funds from the Odesa branch of the SE "USPA" (State Enterprise "Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority"). To implement it, she involved the nominal director of a construction company and officials of the state enterprise.

It was established that even at the stage of preparing the project and estimate documentation, the scheme participants intentionally overstated the cost of building materials in order to subsequently obtain super-profits at the expense of the state enterprise's funds.

A company under their control became the winner of a tender worth over UAH 16 million for the capital repair of tracks and turnouts on the territory of the Odesa Port. During the execution of the work, the suspects entered false data into the certificates of completed work regarding the cost of rails, ties, turnouts, reinforced concrete structures, and other materials.

In particular, the cost of certain materials in the documents was overstated two to three times. For example, a turnout was listed in the certificates at a price of UAH 2 million, although its actual cost was about UAH 703 thousand.

To conceal the price overstatement, the suspects used forged sales invoices on behalf of third-party enterprises. During the investigation, these companies officially confirmed that they had not made any supplies of goods to the contractor. Financial transactions between the business entities were also not confirmed.

According to the expert evaluation conclusions, as a result of the implementation of the scheme, the state enterprise suffered damages of nearly UAH 5 million. At the same time, the total amount of funds transferred to the contractor under the contract exceeded UAH 15.3 million.

The organizer of the scheme was notified of suspicion under Part 3 of Article 27, Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — organization of misappropriation of another's property through abuse of official position, committed by prior conspiracy by a group of persons on an especially large scale. The direct executor of the transaction is accused of committing criminal offenses provided for under Part 5 of Article 191, Part 1 of Article 366, and Part 4 of Article 358 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

In particular, he is suspected of misappropriation of another's property through abuse of official position, committed by prior conspiracy by a group of persons on an especially large scale, compiling and issuing knowingly false official documents, as well as using knowingly forged documents.

The indictment has been forwarded to the court.

Procedural guidance in the case is provided by prosecutors of the Odesa Oblast Prosecutor's Office. According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime until their guilt is proven in accordance with the law and established by a court verdict of guilty.