The Ilyichevsk port, which, with the arrival of its new leader, Sergei Kryzhanovsky, was supposed to become a shining example of new, effective resource and personnel management, is once again reverting to old ways. The management of the State Enterprise "IMTP" is reluctant to announce any new appointments, and the official website features only the director's biography.
368.media previously reported that Tatyana Lagunova has become one of Kryzhanovskyi's deputies. She oversees the port's finances. However, these are far from the only unusual appointments. Specifically, Igor Tombulatov, who served as deputy head of the SBU department in the Odesa region for a year under Yanukovych, has been appointed deputy director for administrative work.
Media reports indicated that he was forced to resign in August 2011 due to corruption scandals. These included the illegal sale of a garage to the SBU, as well as his involvement in dubious schemes. Regardless, Tombulatov remains on the lustration list to this day.
As Tatyana Kozachenko, Director of the Ministry of Justice's Lustration Department, told 368.media, officials holding deputy director positions at state-owned enterprises are not required to undergo lustration checks. Thus, even after Euromaidan, Tombulatov was able to find a "cushy and lucrative" position at the Illichivsk port.
Along with him, Alexey Yashchenko, a longtime colleague of the former "Chekist" and his direct report, was appointed to the position of head of security. However, his position is precarious. A source at the company told 368.media that after only a month on the job, he was already removed from the tender committee.
According to him, another "lustrator" is planned to be appointed to replace Yashchenko. Former Deputy Prosecutor of the Odessa Region, Oleksandr Nimoy, who was dismissed in the spring of 2015 at his own request, is vying for the position of head of the security service, which will report to the former SBU officer. Nimoy was subject to lustration, as he served as Deputy Prosecutor of the region for a year under Yanukovych. Shortly before his dismissal, Nimoy became involved in a construction scandal in Odessa. Regional Governor Mikheil Saakashvili claimed that the prosecutor deprived the city of thousands of jobs by preventing Arrikano Real Estate plc from building a new shopping center on Moldavanka Street.
The dialogue failed
The replacement of Yashchenko with Nimoy demonstrates that the port is being torn apart by various vested interests pushing their protégés into leadership positions. We wouldn't be surprised if former Deputy Prosecutor Nikolai Klyantsko, who was fired by the head of the regional prosecutor's office, David Sakvarelidze, is also appointed. The disgraced "supervisor" previously oversaw the transport sector.
These personnel changes have seriously alarmed the leadership of the Ministry of Infrastructure. According to a 368.media source within the ministry, former First Deputy Minister Volodymyr Shulmeister secretly flew to Odesa for a meeting with Kryzhanovskyi to discuss new appointments and other contentious issues. The meeting took place in the famous building next to the Regional State Administration on Shevchenko Avenue, owned by a prominent Odesa oligarch.
"The port director uses kerosene to put out conflicts. The deputy minister tried to find common ground with him, but nothing came of it. They parted ways in bitterness," the source explained.
There are also questions regarding the appointment of acting port director Sergei Kryzhanovsky, who served for over a year as head of the State Administration of Maritime and River Transport during the previous administration. The selection committee deemed this fact insignificant in determining his appointment to the new position.
Meanwhile, the 368.media editorial office's lustration department stated that they had launched an investigation into Kryzhanovsky, the results of which would be announced later. A source in the Ministry of Infrastructure added that the most interesting events would begin immediately after the Chinese New Year. We'll see how favorable the Year of the Fire Monkey will be for the port worker... and whether it will lead to signs reading "Yura, forgive me and come back" appearing on the streets of Ilyichevsk.
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