Journalists Edition 368 media It was noted that the case of large-scale fraud at Illichivsk Commercial Sea Port (IMTP) has been dragging on for two years, yet there's no word on the specific perpetrators or punishments. In response to journalists' inquiries, the Ministry of Infrastructure only reported that criminal proceedings against the company's officials were initiated in early September of last year. The potential perpetrators are charged under Part 4 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (embezzlement or misappropriation of another's property on an especially large scale): the amount in question is several tens of millions of hryvnias.
More specifically: former head of IMTP Yuri Kruk (Read more: The Kruk Clan. A Corrupt Family Contract) signed an agreement with Trans-Service, whose representatives, Alexander Batkin and Valery Batkin, agreed to carry out certain economic activities in covered warehouse No. 8 behind pier No. 12. According to the agreement, Trans-Service committed to modernization work, investing several tens of millions of hryvnias in the project at the facilities they leased.
In reality, instead of the expected financial influx, the "investors," in collusion with the port's management, received "assistance" from the latter in the form of material and human assets, from specialized equipment to 200 employees (while having their own reserves of 300 workers). As a result, all the work was essentially carried out at the port's expense, and Mr. Kruk was subsequently unable to explain at press conferences how the company benefited from the deal (or even specify the rent amount).
However, observers are more than certain that the 3,1 million hryvnias spent on the work performed were nothing more than a hidden loan from a state-owned enterprise to a private entity. Investigators subsequently confirmed this theory. They explain the inaction and delays in legal proceedings by saying that the corruption schemes allowed those involved in the scam to withdraw documents crucial to the investigation, which constitute evidence, through appeals.
This and other obstacles not only resulted in no specific charges being brought against any of the defendants in the case, but also allowed Trans-Service representatives to continue leasing and operating the disputed properties with impunity. Furthermore, the current director of IMTP, Sergey Kryzhanovsky, is also taking no action against the "tenants," even though the company received the building without the mandatory tender process, which, incidentally, Alexey Kosmin, head of the Odessa branch of the State Property Fund, "forgot" to hold.
Read more: The Kruk Clan. A Corrupt Family Contract
SKELET-info
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