129 million hryvnias embezzled from energy tenders: the prosecutor’s office has uncovered large-scale scheme. PHOTO
Law enforcement agencies have uncovered a large-scale scheme to embezzle public funds during tender-based procurement in the energy sector. According to the investigation, state-owned and municipal enterprises have suffered losses amounting to 129 million hryvnias.
As reported by Censor.NET, this information comes from the Office of the Prosecutor General.
According to the investigation, officials at energy sector enterprises facilitated the success of a specific private company – which carried out work in the energy sector – in tender procurement processes.
Subsequently, the works and services were paid for at significantly inflated prices, and the overpaid budget funds, according to law enforcement officials, were embezzled by those involved in the scheme.
The prosecutor’s office notes that this concerns two critically important areas of energy infrastructure.
The first relates to emergency repair and restoration work on overhead power lines – pylons and cables – damage to which leads to large-scale power cuts.
The second area involves the implementation of projects to install and connect gas-piston cogeneration units, which generate both electricity and heat, providing reserve capacity for the power system during blackouts.
Investigators established that the private company was being paid for the work at inflated rates; according to the investigation, the overpaid funds were subsequently channelled through controlled shell companies via fictitious transactions.
As part of the criminal proceedings, law enforcement officers carried out a series of searches. The director of the private company was served with a notice of suspicion under Part 3 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (legalisation of property obtained by criminal means). The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.
