In the Pidkamin settlement community, an official of the Centre for the Provision of Social Services, who is a sitting councillor of one of the district councils in the Lviv region, is suspected of abuse of office during the procurement of a solid fuel boiler using funds from the regional budget. This was reported under the procedural guidance of the Zolochiv District Prosecutor’s Office.
According to the investigation, in 2021 an authorised representative of the Centre arranged for the unjustified rejection of a more economically advantageous bid from one of the tender participants. The winner of the procurement was a company whose price offer was almost twice as high.
After this, the Centre and the supplier concluded a contract of sale for the solid fuel boiler. Under its terms, the equipment was to be delivered and installed by the end of 2021, and payment was to be made only after the actual receipt of the goods and the signing of an acceptance certificate.
However, even before the contract was officially concluded, the Centre official drew up and signed a knowingly false delivery note stating that the boiler had allegedly already been delivered and installed. It was this document that became the basis for the settlement with the supplier. By the end of 2021 the company had not delivered the boiler, and the parties had not signed an acceptance certificate. According to the investigation, the Pidkamin settlement community suffered losses of almost UAH 380,000.
In reality, the solid fuel boiler was delivered to the Centre only in 2023, during the pre-trial investigation into the non-delivery of equipment to the municipal institution. At the same time, the boiler was not installed and could not be used.
The official has been notified of suspicion of abuse of office and of drawing up and issuing a knowingly false official document under Part 2 of Article 364 and Part 1 of Article 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. As for the head of the company, the indictment is already before the court. The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by Police Department No. 1 of the Zolochiv District Police Division of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Lviv region.
In accordance with Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and may not be subjected to criminal punishment until his or her guilt has been proved in the manner prescribed by law and established by a guilty verdict of a court.