In Odessa, fraud worth UAH 21 million was uncovered in the procurement of equipment for powering traffic lights
In Odessa, law enforcement officers exposed a scheme to embezzle over 20.7 million hryvnias of budget funds during the purchase of uninterruptible power supplies and batteries for traffic light facilities. According to the investigation, the organizer of the transaction was the director of a private enterprise, who actually controlled a group of related companies.
He involved officials of the municipal institution SMEP of the Odessa City Council, a lawyer, and the heads of two other enterprises in the implementation of the scheme. Throughout 2024, the controlled structures systematically won tenders and supplied equipment at inflated prices.
During the searches, investigators seized draft records, product cost calculations, and other materials that, according to law enforcement officers, indicate price coordination between procurement participants.
Prosecutors of the Odessa Regional Prosecutor’s Office reported seven individuals to the police. Among them are two officials of a municipal institution, the owner of a group of companies, two heads of enterprises, a lawyer, and an employee of one of the firms. They are charged with taking possession of property on an especially large scale during martial law (Part 5, Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The court imposed preventive measures on the suspects, and one of the officials was suspended from performing his duties.
In addition, it is noted that last year 501.2 million hryvnias passed through public procurement within the framework of 32 tenders, the participants of which had confirmed connections with each other.
