Arsen Zhumadilov
Complaints of corruption, ties to illegal quarries, and fisheries raiders. Arsen Zhumadilov celebrated his anniversary as head of a district in the Odessa region with an article on illegal enrichment and Mikheil Saakashvili's nomination as his deputy.
This time, Arsen Zhumadilov found himself at the center of a scandal following a special audit of his asset declaration. During his year as head of the Belyaivka District State Administration in the Odesa Oblast, the official began driving a new car and purchased an apartment in Kyiv. His expenses also clearly mismatched his modest salary. Despite constantly staying in hotels, traveling abroad for business, and visiting his family in Kyiv on a weekly basis, the government official's savings had not diminished. This can be verified by comparing his 2014 and 2015 asset declarations.
Human rights activists from the environmental organization "For All Odessa!" believe the reason for this wealth lies in the well-known scheme involving illegal sand mining in the quarries of the Belyaevsky district. Poachers erected a dam blocking the main river of the Kuyalnytskyi Estuary basin. In the dried-up riverbed, they created a staggeringly large-scale excavation scheme for building materials. The daily production volume amounts to 2-3 tons (!) of sand. Despite the obvious damage to natural resources, resulting in an environmental disaster for the Kuyalnytskyi resort, the head of the Belyaevsky district has found a reason to ignore the problem. According to human rights activists, Arsen Zhumadilov receives 100 hryvnias from every multi-ton truck passing along the only road from the illegal quarries through the district center. The activists' overall estimate indicates that the amount of corrupt income amounts to approximately $1500 per day.
Even ATO participants, united in the Odesa Region Civil Self-Government Committee, have already appealed to Mikheil Saakashvili, demanding the official's removal and an investigation. However, the Georgian leader's trust in "his team" and his willingness to forgive their misdeeds are so high that the activists no longer have any chance of receiving any response. Neither does human rights activist Valery Goncharov, who submitted requests to the Belyaevskaya District State Administration for clarification of the contents of the official's declaration as public information. His series of inquiries (No. G-379-1 and No. 380 from March 24, 2016, No. G-390-1 from March 25, 2016, No. 401-1 from March 28, 2016, No. G-410-1 from March 29, 2016, No. G-654-1 from May 18, 2016, No. G-698-1 from May 30, 2016, No. G-753-1 from June 8, 2016, No. 776-1 from July 13, 2016) continue to be ignored by the district administration. "Arsenka is making a career out of quarries," concludes Svetlana Goy, a well-known Belyaevsk activist, regarding the motives for the official's lack of transparency.
It's noteworthy that Zhumadilov is being promoted to the position of Vice Governor for Ecology and Social Protection, recently vacated by Maria Gaidar. And in addition to the obvious oversight of natural resources, necessary for the quarry and water schemes, the official will be tasked with formulating social policy, a field in which, to put it mildly, he is not an expert.
A blatant collapse of this sector—that's how residents of the district entrusted to A. Zhumadilov describe his year-long performance. Violations and unjustified non-payments affected not only those social categories that one would think the state should prioritize, such as ATO soldiers. Humiliations like "mobilized drones" and refusal to recalculate average salaries... Even the RDA officials themselves, seemingly part of their own team, have experienced this same "businesslike approach." But the blatant amateurism in the process of recruiting "fresh blood" for the state machine has resulted in the RDA staffing schedule not being approved for over three months. Meanwhile, young enthusiasts are living on the brink of survival, receiving a minimum wage of 1500 UAH per month. Experienced employees face a different approach. They were not indexed in December. Meanwhile, the Crimean Tatar team shamelessly awarded themselves 3% bonuses.
It seems the only area where Zhumadilov has managed to produce any results this year is the holding of festivals. But the news of receiving half a million from the regional budget for a "disco at the Museum of Partisan Glory" shocked the Belyaevsk community.
Perhaps replenishing the new party's coffers is the reason why Solomiya Bobrovskaya is so actively organizing a new appointment for Zhumadilov?
Ruslan Yakushev, Antikor
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