During martial law in Ukraine, schemes have been uncovered to embezzle funds allocated for the construction and procurement of shelters for educational institutions and military facilities. According to recently established facts, the total amount of losses stands at 81 million UAH.
In one of the criminal proceedings, the activities of an organised group have been documented which, according to the investigation, misappropriated 47 million UAH during the procurement of shelters in Dnipropetrovsk and Chernihiv regions. According to investigators, the tender procedures were tailored to favour controlled companies, structures that did not comply with state standards were supplied, forged certificates were used and mandatory control procedures were bypassed.
The violations were identified during the monitoring of public procurement. Four members of the organised group and six officials of local self-government bodies have been notified of suspicion; according to the investigation, their official negligence enabled the criminal plan to be carried out.
Similar instances of embezzlement of budget funds during the construction and procurement of shelters for educational institutions have also been established in Chernivtsi and Poltava regions. In these two regions alone, losses to the state amount to a further 34 million UAH. As a result, funds intended to ensure people's safety were spent on structures that did not meet the requirements and had no practical value.
The official who made this information public stressed that he considers stealing from people's safety during wartime to be one of the most cynical crimes, and that everyone who organised the schemes, approved the documentation, signed the certificates or deliberately ignored the violations must be held to account. The investigation is ongoing, with all the circumstances and the full circle of those involved being established.