NABU and SAPO exposed a scheme of “kickbacks” on road repairs in Poltava: among the suspects are a deputy and city council officials

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, together with the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, exposed a corruption scheme in Poltava related to the distribution of budget funds for road repair and maintenance.

As reported by the NABU, officials of the Housing and Communal Services Department of the Poltava City Council, who acted in collusion with a city council member, were involved in organizing the scheme.

According to the investigation, the officials established a systematic mechanism for obtaining illegal benefits from contracting organizations that performed road work for budget funds.

These are so-called “kickbacks” in the amount of about 10% of the amount of concluded contracts. According to preliminary estimates by law enforcement officers, the total amount of illegally obtained funds exceeded 7.7 million hryvnias.

As part of the investigation, suspicions have already been reported to a deputy of the Poltava City Council, one of the city council officials, as well as two representatives of contracting companies who, according to the investigation, participated in the implementation of the scheme.

Law enforcement officers continue their investigative actions and identify all possible participants in the transaction.

The NABU emphasizes that this is a systemic abuse during the implementation of infrastructure projects that were financed from the local budget, and the scheme itself could have operated for a long time.

The case is being investigated within the framework of anti-corruption legislation, and the final legal assessment of the actions of the suspects will be provided by the court.