Police Uncover Embezzlement Scheme in School Shelter Renovations
In Dnipropetrovsk, law enforcement has uncovered a criminal organization that illegally embezzled nearly seven million hryvnias allocated for the renovation of school shelters.
This was reported by the Strategic Investigations Department of the National Police of Ukraine.
Among the group members are the deputy head of one of the departments of the Samara City Council and an engineer overseeing the contractor. The criminals organized a financial scheme using local budget funds intended for the reconstruction of bomb shelters in four educational institutions, as stated in the report.
Between 2023 and 2024, eight contracts were signed between the local government and the contractor for a total of over 16 million hryvnias. According to the agreements, the contractor was to carry out the reconstruction of the basements of three local gymnasiums and one lyceum in Samara, the National Police reports.
These underground structures were planned to be used as shelters for children during air threats, the publication notes.
During the renovation process, the supervising engineer submitted false information in the reporting documentation regarding the volumes of completed work and the costs of materials used. The city council official signed these documents, aware of their inaccuracy, as stated in the publication.
In some instances, the estimated costs were inflated by twice, according to the National Police.
According to expert research conclusions, the amount of damages inflicted on the state is nearly 7 million hryvnias.
The police conducted sanctioned searches in the Dnipropetrovsk region at the residences of the suspects and seized mobile phones, computer equipment, financial documentation, bank cards, seals, cash, and rough notes.
The suspects have been charged. They face up to twelve years in prison with confiscation of property. Currently, measures are being taken to identify other possible participants in the scheme to hold them accountable. The investigation continues.
Reminder:
Previously, the Cabinet of Ministers allocated an additional 272.5 million hryvnias to local communities from the state budget for the construction of shelters in educational institutions. A total of 185 shelter construction projects are planned in Ukrainian schools.
It was also reported that a shelter was ordered for a lyceum near Kharkiv, which had been damaged by shelling, at an inflated price of 145 million hryvnias.
According to reports, the prices of basic construction materials for shelters in Chuhuiv, Kharkiv region, exceed market prices by 20-60%.
Earlier, it was reported that tenders were announced in Kharkiv region for the construction of three anti-radiation shelters in schools, each with an expected cost of over 100 million hryvnias. The cost of constructing a square meter for two of them is double that of other regions.
It was also reported that in 2024, over 134 thousand procurements were completed through Prozorro for the code "Construction works and current repairs," which includes reconstruction procurements. The total amount of procurements is 271.6 billion hryvnias, with 96.6% of them occurring with only one participant.
