Searches were conducted at Mykolaivvodokanal: investigators suspect schemes in energy service contracts

The water utility in Mykolaiv was searched on 1 May. Archive photo NikVesti

The premises of the utility company «Mykolaivvodokanal» were searched as part of an investigation into alleged embezzlement of budget funds. This episode concerns the conclusion of energy service contracts for the maintenance of water supply facilities.

This is stated in the ruling of the Vitovskyi District Court of 13 May, according to NikVesti.

It should be noted that the case is being investigated within the framework of criminal proceedings №12024150000000014 of 4 January 2024, opened under Part 4 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — misappropriation and embezzlement of property on a particularly large scale by prior conspiracy committed under martial law. As a reminder, a month ago, law enforcement officers detained the utility «GDMB» and conducted a series of searches at companies and enterprises related to the implementation of the utility's tender schemes.

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In particular, the investigation suggests that officials of «Mykolaivvodokanal» may have facilitated the victory of «Promsila» when concluding energy service contracts for the maintenance of water treatment plants and pumping stations.

According to the YouControl analytical system, the company's owner is Mykhailo Dobrushkin, who is the head of another company involved in the criminal proceedings, «Svetolux-Nikolaev».

Investigators of the Main Department of the National Police in Mykolaiv region conducted a search of the company's premises at 161 Pohranychna Street on 1 May. As part of the search, investigators seized documents containing signs of material evidence, which were seized by court order.

On the same day, law enforcement officers conducted searches at JSC «Mykolaivoblenergo» as part of criminal proceedings into the possible embezzlement of budget funds allocated for the reconstruction of power grids.

Corruption in the procurement of street lighting for Mykolaiv

On 9 April, it became known that Serhii Bezdolnyi, who works for the municipal enterprise «Self-supporting Construction Mechanisation Section» (hereinafter referred to as the SCMS), and Vasyl Protsyshyn, a businessman from Lviv region, were notified of suspicion of misappropriation of budget funds. He is charged with an offence under Part 4 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. He faces a prison sentence of 5 to 8 years. In addition to working for the utility company, Serhii Bezdolnyi is the brother of Dmytro Bezdolnyi, Director of the Housing and Communal Services Department of Mykolaiv City Council.

Money and documents seized during the searches. Photo: National Police

Money and documents seized during the searches. Photo: National Police

Money and documents seized during the searches. Photo: National Police

According to law enforcement officers, during the purchase of 65 street lighting control cabinets worth more than UAH 5.3 million, the budget of Mykolaiv lost almost 600,000 hryvnias due to the so-called «kickbacks» — 13% of the amount excluding VAT.

The director of Mykolaiv's Department of Housing and Communal Services, Dmytro Bezdolnyi, previously told NikVesti that he was considering resigning from his post for the duration of the investigation due to the suspicion served on his relative. It is worth noting that the wife of the director of Mykolaiv's Housing and Utilities Department also works for the utility company where his brother is suspected of corruption.

The mayor of Mykolaiv, Oleksandr Sienkevych, promised to cooperate with the investigation in the case of corruption in street lighting.

On 15 April, the Vitovskyi District Court of Mykolaiv imposed a pre-trial restraint on suspected corrupt utility worker Serhii Bezdolnyi in the form of arrest with the possibility of bail in the amount of over 4.9 million hryvnias. As it turned out during the hearing, the Department of Internal Financial Control, Supervision and Anti-Corruption of Mykolaiv approved a tender for the purchase of 65 street lighting cabinets at an inflated price in September 2024.

The court also ruled to compulsorily bring the suspect Vasyl Protsyshyn to the court hearing. However, Protsyshyn did not appear at the hearing on 22 April. The court learned that his whereabouts are currently unknown, but he has not crossed the state border.

As of the end of April, the suspected businessman Vasyl Protsyshyn remained a fugitive from the investigation.

NikVesti previously reported on new evidence in the case — surveillance video captured the moment of transferring funds to an official of the municipal enterprise «Self-supporting Construction Mechanisation Section» (SCMS).

Read also: «Everyone should be happy in the New Year». The court heard dialogues between the utility company and a Lviv businessman in the Bezdolnyi case