On December 28, 2023, the cross-border infrastructural project "Clean River" was completed in the city of Izmail, Odesa region. It was implemented with the funds of the European Union from 2019 by the Izmail City Executive Committee, as well as by Romanian partners - the Association "Euroregion "Lower Danube" and the County Council of Tulcea.
As it turned out during the final conference, Izmail, having received 3,1 million euros, failed to fully implement his part of the project: the reconstruction of the sewage system was not completed - instead of 11 km, 9,5 km was replaced. The non-implementation of the project was argued to be a full-scale military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, since the movement of heavy goods vehicles in the direction of the port facilities did not allow the replacement of pipes on some road sections.
The reason is supposedly valid, if we do not take into account the fact that the "Clean River" project began to be implemented back in 2019. And since 2020, the city executive committee of Izmail has periodically reported on the progress of works on the reconstruction of the sewage network. Even for that came to see one of the former heads of the Odesa regional administration.
"Clean River" was surrounded by a halo of scandal from the very beginning, when in November 2019, the Izmail city executive committee made questionable purchases as part of the project:
· by 8,1 million hryvnias. were purchased project management services at Resource Consulting Partner LLC. At the same time, the managers of the project were the heads of communal institutions of the Izmail city council: at first Valentin Stroya, the former director of the Izmail Investment Promotion Bureau, and later — Natalia Pogorelova, director of the Izmail Entrepreneurship Promotion Fund;
· for 459 thousand hryvnias was purchased car, which the Izmail Executive Committee handed over to Resource Consulting Partner LLC. But why a car in a project where the main events are held on the territory of Izmail?
Under such circumstances, it is not surprising that already in December 2019, participation in the "Clean River" project stopped Odesa Regional Council.
After that, the Izmail city executive committee in December 2019, as part of the "Clean River" project spent tender for the reconstruction of sewage networks with the installation of a backup pipeline in the southern and southeastern parts of the city. The city executive committee awarded the victory in this tender to the company George Kinev PBP "Kings", rejecting cheaper offers.
And already on January 11, 2020, the State Audit Service, having conducted monitoring, said about violations in the course of procurement - the tender committee should have rejected the offer of PBP "Kings" due to non-compliance with the terms of the tender documentation and annul the results of the tenders.
However, the auditors' request was ignored: on January 15, the mayor of Izmail, Andriy Abramchenko, concluded a contract with the Kineva company for UAH 80 million.
In connection with the media resonance surrounding this tender, in January 2020, the Investigative Department of the GUNP in the Odesa Region initiated criminal proceedings No. 42020160000000028. According to the results of the investigation, the law enforcement officers declared the existence of an organized criminal group and highlighted 3 main schemes for acquiring budget funds:
— scheme No. 1 – overestimation of the volumes of used materials (bentonite and polymer additive). According to this scheme, it was removed from the budget 1 million UAH.
— scheme No. 2 – overestimation of the cost of materials (polyethylene pipes). According to this scheme, almost was withdrawn from the budget 2 million UAH.
— scheme No. 3 – overestimation of the cost of works (laying of two pipeline lines in one trench). That's more 1 million UAH, withdrawn from the budget
Meanwhile, the study of open court decisions proves that law enforcement officers avoid providing a legal assessment of those violations that were committed during the tender and about which the investigation actually began.
After all, then the tender committee of the Izmail city executive committee and the Izmail city mayor should be included in the criminal "scheme" of stealing EU funds Andriy Abramchenko, who signed the contract, project managers and those who used management funds through Resource Consulting Partner LLC.
It may seem that Belov and Kinev are very powerful people in Izmail, to whom all officials of the Izmail city executive committee, including the tender committee, and even the mayor himself, obey? However, real power in the city has belonged to Mayor Andrii Abramchenko for more than 10 years, who has repeatedly changed his political affiliation: first, Serhiy Tyhipko's Strong Ukraine, then cooperation with the Party of Regions, after the Revolution of Dignity he joined Petro Poroshenko's Bloc, and from 2020 he became a member of the Servant of the People party.
But the investigation was limited to contractors, designers and engineers.
According to the investigation, he developed the "criminal scheme". Vitaly Belov, who, being the head of the KP "Izmail production management of water supply and sewage management", simultaneously controlled "Prommontazh" LLC - a company that designed the reconstruction of the sewage system in Izmail. He entered into a conspiracy with the director of PBP "Kings" Kinev, and already together, they somehow influenced the tender committee of the Izmail City Executive Committee, which recognized PBP "Kings" as the winner of the tender, despite the requirements of the law. Then Belov and Kinev already in some way influenced the mayor of Izmail, Abramchenko, who ignored the order of the State Audit Service and signed the purchase contract. Later, Belov and Kinev involved more of their subordinates and an employee of the capital construction department, and the criminal group already had 6 people at the time the case was brought to court.
Vitaly Belov, a deputy of the Izmail City Council on the list of "Servants of the People", being the organizer of a "criminal scheme" according to the investigation, received a milder preventive measure - night house arrest - unlike the others, who were detained on millions in bails.
By the way, Belov still holds the position of director of KP "Izmail Production Department of Water Supply and Sewerage". I wonder if it was Belov who led the criminal group, as the investigation believes, would his leader Abramchenko have left him in the same position?
Another, V. Stroya, has resigned, but the LLC controlled by him continues to provide management services for other grant projects.
Meanwhile, the police finished investigating the second criminal proceeding on the "Clean River" project: now the fact of damages has been established 7 million UAH for providing fictitious management services. The former head of Izmailsk KP, who diverted millions of grant funds to a controlled commercial structure, is accused of the crime.
By the way, now the Izmail chief Andriy Abramchenko, who did not fall into the hands of the law enforcement officers, will have to complete the construction of 1,5 km of sewage. Another 3,5 million euros will go to this from the local budget — and this at a time when the whole country is collecting for drones for the Armed Forces...
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