Corruption in energy sector: scheme to embezzle nearly 170 million hryvnias from "Energoatom" during construction of the Tashlyk Pumped Storage Power Plant has been exposed, - NABU. PHOTO
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) have uncovered a large-scale corruption scheme involving the misappropriation of funds from the state-owned enterprise ‘NAEK Energoatom’ during the construction of a critical infrastructure facility in the Mykolaiv region – the Tashlyk Pumped Storage Power Station (PSPP).
This was reported by Censor.NET, citing the NABU press centre.
Details
As noted, the suspects include:
- the organiser of the scheme – the actual owner of a number of companies;
- former head of a department within the separate division "Atomproektinzhiniring" of the state-owned enterprise "NAEK "Energoatom".
What has already been established?
According to the investigation, the work on the completion of the Tashlyk Pumped Storage Power Plant was carried out by one of the companies belonging to the scheme’s organiser. Despite missed deadlines and the company being subject to bankruptcy proceedings, additional agreements were systematically concluded with it, in which the list and scope of works, as well as the deadlines for their completion, were changed.
"This was made possible by the influence of the company’s actual owner on officials at Energoatom," explained the NABU.
Artificial price inflation
Under one of these additional agreements – of which more than 70 were concluded in total – a set of equipment for an automated pumped-storage power plant control system was purchased at a total cost of over 305 million UAH. The purchase was made through a controlled foreign firm, which allowed the price of the equipment to be artificially inflated by almost 170 million UAH.
- The suspects’ actions have been classified under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
- The organiser of the scheme was detained in accordance with Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine.
- Investigative proceedings are ongoing, and the full circle of individuals involved in the scheme is being established.
