The leader of the organized crime group that plundered the Yuzhny port, Roman Inde
In January 2017, Roman Inde allegedly sacrificed a good salary at Portinvest Logistics only to dedicate his life to serving the interests of the state in the position of First Deputy Director of the State Enterprise “STP Yuzhny,” writes Anticorrosive
But in reality, everything was not like that...
The right-hand man of the organized crime group leader, Deputy Director of Procurement Oleg Traidakolo
The executor of the organized crime group's decisions is the port's figurehead director (chairman of the tender committee) Sergei Kovshar.
Roman Inde was installed by high-ranking patrons at the port to control cargo flows. This is a common practice among oligarchic financial and industrial groups. However, having become convinced of his patrons' power, Roman Inde decided to resort to simple theft. To this end, he quickly organized a criminal group, including Sergei Kovshar, Oleg Traidakolo, and many others. This gang began robbing the Yuzhny port with a vengeance and zeal, implementing corrupt schemes to purchase used goods disguised as new from commercial entities under their control at prices three to five times higher than market prices.
To create the image of a successful businessman, fraudster Roman Inde, before being appointed to a high-ranking position, deliberately declared fictitious assets of $1,15 million and 2 million hryvnias in his declaration. From his first days in office, he ostentatiously boasted of his wealth, claiming that he had influential connections and could resolve any issue at any level. Roman always sought to appear important and influential, and he did everything he could to demonstrate his supposed superiority over others, earning him the nickname "Turkey" from his colleagues. Wanting to create a cushy life for himself at the company's expense, Roman Inde, under threat of dismissal, coerced young women into cohabiting, appointing them to high-paying positions after their consent. He also forced cafeteria workers to prepare custom orders for him at the company's expense, among other things.
However, in reality, everything turned out to be more prosaic and sad in the fate of the small Odessa dealer.
In March of this year, Roman Inde, who is currently suspended from his position pending a pre-trial investigation into his embezzlement of over 40 million hryvnias, filed his annual tax return for 2020.
According to his asset declaration, the first deputy director of the Yuzhny port owns and leases several plots of land in the village of Doslidne, Belyaevsky district, Odessa region, which he leases to Agrolider LTD. His wife, Olga, is a co-founder of the company. Throughout 2020, Roman Inde and his son, Stanislav, leased 13 land shares totaling 78,3 hectares from the former collective agricultural enterprise Doslidne in Belyaevsky district, Odessa region.
Comparing his 2019 and 2020 tax returns reveals many interesting insights. For example, his 2019 tax return listed $1150000 in cash in US dollars.
12. Penny assets
In his 2020 declaration, the cash dollars disappeared, although Roman Inde no longer reported any additional expenses:
As a reminder, in October 2020, Roman Inde was arrested with bail set at 21 million hryvnias. The Appellate Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court upheld this decision. The court later extended his arrest until February 22 but reduced his bail from 21 million hryvnias to 7,35 million hryvnias. Afterwards, bail was posted for the suspect, and he was released from pretrial detention.
When Roman Inda was being sentenced to pretrial detention, he burst into tears in the courtroom and said that he had declared 1,5 million in foreign currency in order to appear more influential and important in business circles, but in reality, he had no money. He asked the court to release him to his wife and children.
His overwhelming desire for impending freedom was overshadowed by a looming family scandal over his wife's systematic infidelity with his mistresses. Divorce proceedings were looming, and the womanizer Roman Inde risked being left with only his share of land. Aware of his doom, Roman Inde likely managed to convince his wife to give him one last chance and save the family.
Due to the fact that knowingly false information was included in the declaration, a written statement was submitted to the NAPC and NABU to include this information in the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations (URDPI) regarding Roman Inde, that is, about the commission of a criminal offense under Article 366-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
As a reminder, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has charged the first deputy director of the Yuzhny port and ten other individuals with causing the state-owned enterprise over 47 million hryvnias in losses. The investigation established that the first deputy director of the Yuzhny port, Roman Inde, along with Oleh Traidakolo, the former deputy director of the same state-owned enterprise, and Zherebtsov, the head of a private company, orchestrated a scheme in 2017-2018 through which the state-owned enterprise illegally overpaid 47,5 million hryvnias in the purchase of goods.
On April 21, 2021, a Higher Anti-Corruption Court (VAKSU) judge extended Roman Inda's pretrial detention until May 21 of this year. On April 17, the pretrial detention of his accomplice, Oleg Traidakolo, was also extended.
However, despite Roman Inde being held in pretrial detention from October 2020 until the end of 2020, this had no impact on his salary, which in 2020 was UAH 1,055,612. In 2019, it was only UAH 936,535. Unlike ordinary workers, whose salaries and bonuses have only decreased.
Acting Director of the Yuzhny Port, Sergei Kovshar, always supports and encourages his accomplices in corruption schemes, fearing the wrath of his unofficial patron, Roman Inde, which is what Sergei Kovshar fears most.
Furthermore, in his 2017-2021 asset declarations, Inde failed to list the commercial premises at 42 Uspenska Street in Odesa, where his wife runs a lingerie store. Following the high-profile family scandal that exposed his adultery, Roman Inde was repeatedly seen working behind the counter at this store.
Port employees close to Roman Inda, Dmitry Lisovik, Alexander Yanishevsky, and others who continue to work at the state-owned enterprise, claim they are in constant contact with their first deputy, and that on April 28, their boss will return to work, assume control, and their situation will improve significantly.
Roman Inde, even after being suspended from his post, had already ordered the acceleration of the siphoning off of funds with the help of his protégé, Alexander Yanishevsky, and Sergei Sinitsa, through contracts for design work, construction, and the purchase of goods and materials at inflated prices. With Roman Inde's removal, a corruption whirlwind is expected at the port, engulfing many officials and engulfing the Yuzhny port in numerous scandals.
The editorial team is monitoring developments in the Yuzhny port and will provide detailed information on all criminal activities of the organized crime group led by Roman Inde.
Author: Alexander Sobko
In topic: NABU uncovers a 47 million UAH corruption scheme at Yuzhny Port.
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