Directors of five Ukrainian state mines stole half a billion hryvnia
The management of state-owned coal mines has been exposed for embezzling more than half a billion hryvnias from the state budget, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
This was reported by the press center of the Security Service of Ukraine.
According to the intelligence service, during 2016-2019, officials of OJSC Lisichanskugol, State Enterprise Mirnogradugol, State Enterprise Shakhta im. M.S. Surgaya, State Enterprise “Pervomaiskugol”, State Enterprise “Mine Management “Yuzhnodonbasskaya No. 1” organized a mechanism for theft of enterprise funds through the public procurement procedure.
The management “prescribed” the conditions for holding mine equipment tenders for predetermined winners - controlled laying companies. Then, more than 500 million hryvnia were transferred to the above-mentioned enterprises, which were distributed among the organizers and participants of the illegal transaction.
The SBU, together with the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine, documented that the equipment necessary for the sustainable functioning of the mines was not updated, but only repaired from time to time. According to experts, the transaction significantly reduced the efficiency of enterprises and created threats to the life and health of workers.
As part of the criminal proceedings initiated on the grounds of criminal offenses provided for in Part 5 of Art. 191 (misappropriation, embezzlement of property or taking possession of it through abuse of official position) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, documentation of illegal activities of officials of state-owned enterprises in the coal industry continues. Searches and a number of other investigative actions are taking place to bring the perpetrators to criminal liability.
According to the State Statistics Service, all 33 state mines have a debt for the electricity supplied to them for a total amount of about 15 billion UAH.
Directors of five Ukrainian state-owned mines stole half a billion hryvnias.