Scheme worth 150 million hryvnias: "GTS Operator" purchased defence equipment with 100% mark-up, - Zhelezniak. VIDEO
"Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine" procured concrete blocks to protect gas transmission facilities through front companies. The company has already lost 70 million hryvnias on completed contracts. In total, the overpayment could amount to at least 150 million hryvnias for the protection of gas infrastructure.
This was reported by MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak, according to Censor.NET.
How did the scheme work?
According to the MP, "GTS Operator" purchased concrete Lego blocks to protect critical infrastructure.
Most often, three companies won the tenders:"Building Group-A", "GP Skhid-Agro" and "A-Prom".
"And then it’s very simple. The company buys the blocks from a real plant and sells them to the state for almost double the price.
For example, "GP Skhid-Agro" buys blocks for 7,000 UAH, whilst the GTS Operator sells them for 14,000 UAH.
Or another example: a block that costs around 6,000 UAH at the plant is bought by OGTS from ‘Building Group-A’ for almost 12,000 UAH. And this mark-up applies to almost all items in the contract," the MP noted.
At the same time, the blocks may even be shipped directly from the plant, although the company’s documents list either themselves or an affiliated firm as the manufacturer.
"Which is hardly surprising. These 'concrete giants' have neither production facilities, nor warehouses, nor a proper workforce," added Zhelezniak.
Who at OGTS was responsible for procurement for protective structures?
"And here everything points to the state-owned enterprise’s security director (much like Basov—‘Tenor’—in Mindich’s scheme with Energoatom).
Oleh Doronin has been working as the security director at OGTS for several years now. It is he who manages the budget for protective structures, and his department oversees the implementation of these tenders.
According to our information, he was brought into the company by Dmytro Lyppa – a protégé of Rostyslav Shurma. It was at that time that Shurma was actively placing his people in the energy sector, as sources say, in the interests of Mindich," explained the MP.
At the same time, according to Zhelezniak, the companies that won the OGTS tenders were not chosen at random either.
"According to our data, all three winning firms are linked to the Doronin family. This connection is evident through the firm that intermediaries listed in their bids as the alleged manufacturer of the units.
It looks like a scheme to siphon off money under the guise of protecting the energy sector during the war and constant heavy shelling," he concluded.
