The State Enterprise "Directorate for the Construction of the Odessa International Airport" is headed by Odessa resident Igor Chernik, who is considered a protégé of Kaufman.
000 "Odessa International Airport"
Kaufman and Granovsky needn't worry: no one will take the Odesa airport away from them. Even though three months ago, everyone believed there were compelling reasons to resolve the issue differently, Delovaya Stolitsa writes in its print edition.
To Boris Kaufman and his partner Alexander Granovsky The loss of assets "hard-earned" during Viktor Yanukovych's presidency was avoided. Just a few months ago, it was believed that the collapse of the business empire of the Odesans, considered close to Sasha the Dentist, was imminent. In the spring, at the instigation of Verkhovna Rada deputy Oleksandr Dubovyi, the Odesa Department for Combating Organized Crime (UBOP) began investigating Kaufman and Granovsky's business. Its officers even uncovered a conversion center in the Finbank building in Odesa, discovering that its operations were directly overseen by the financial institution's co-owners (at the time, this included Kaufman and Granovsky).
The criminal case initiated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs also involved Odesa International Airport LLC. This company was created in mid-2011 by Odesa Airport Development, a structure close to Finbank, in conjunction with the Odesa City Council, which contributed the eponymous municipal enterprise to the company in exchange for a 25% stake. Last year, the Ministry of Infrastructure created the Odesa International Airport Construction Directorate, a state-owned enterprise headed by Odesa resident Igor Chernik, considered a protégé of Kaufman. A couple of weeks later, the state-owned enterprise announced a tender for the construction of an airfield complex (including a new runway) at Odesa International Airport. Only two little-known companies participated: Odesa-based Projecti-Ka LLC, which offered to carry out the work for UAH 1,64 billion, and Simferopol-based Spetsrembud LLC, which asked for UAH 1,63 billion. Both companies, with authorized capital of UAH 884 and UAH 20,500, respectively, were rumored to be acting in the interests of Odesa-based friends of the "family," who were guaranteed a large government contract. This is precisely what happened in December 2013, when the Odesa International Airport Construction Directorate signed a general contract with Spetsrembud.
However, the company didn't manage to utilize this money. After the change of power, funding for the infrastructure project was frozen, and in July, the Odessa Regional Prosecutor's Office launched an attack on the general contractor's position. This agency filed a lawsuit in the Odessa Regional Commercial Court on behalf of the Ministry of Infrastructure against the Odessa International Airport Construction Directorate and Spetsrembud, demanding that the results of the competitive bidding and the general contract concluded between them be declared invalid. For several months, both defendants ignored court hearings until, in late September, the Odessa Regional Commercial Court issued a ruling on the case. It completely rejected the prosecutor's office's claims, arguing that the bids of both tender participants should be rejected due to failure to meet qualification requirements (they lacked construction experience, and the necessary equipment was leased only in October-November 2013), as well as violations of public procurement laws. "The prosecutor failed to prove to the court the existence of circumstances surrounding the violations committed by the defendants," the court ruled. Apparently, the Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office found this argument very persuasive. As journalists discovered, the agency did not even appeal the verdict, and it entered into force in October.
What does this give Kaufman and Granovsky? At the very least, an opportunity to gain a foothold in the main outpost of their air business and subsequently secure the coveted funding from the state budget. Fortunately, the owners of Vetrex Group appear to have found common ground with the Odessa city authorities. At the end of October, the Odessa City Council's temporary commission charged with verifying the fulfillment of its obligations by the owner of Odessa International Airport LLC confirmed that the investor had "fulfilled them in full." Thus, the question raised in August about the city council's withdrawal from this company and the return of the entire Odessa Airport property complex to the city was resolved.
Prosecutor's Truth
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