Detectives of the Territorial Department of the Economic Security Bureau in Chernivtsi region served a notice of suspicion to the director of an energy supply company.

The pre-trial investigation established that at the end of 2020, the company won a tender for the supply of electricity to a utility company. Even before the date specified in the contract for the start of electricity supply, the company's director, threatening to terminate the contract or not supplying electricity, sent letters and certificates to increase the price per 1 kW. However, these documents did not reflect the actual price fluctuations in the electricity market to which the company director referred. In case of termination of the contract the company would have to receive services 5 times more expensive from another supplier.

As a result 4 additional agreements were concluded between the energy supply company and the state-owned enterprise which illegally increased the price of electricity supply by 36.5%.

During the pre-trial investigation the detectives established that the utility company had unjustifiably overpaid the energy supply company over UAH 8.6 million.

The detectives served the head of the company a notice of suspicion of committing a criminal offense under Part 5 of Art. 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (misappropriation of property by abuse of office in a particularly large scale).

The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by detectives of the Territorial Department of the ESBU in Chernivtsi region under the supervision of the Chernivtsi Region Prosecutor's Office.