A contractor and an engineer are to stand trial in Chernivtsi for substandard road repairs worth over 200 million hryvnias
In Chernivtsi, a case has been referred to court regarding the alleged embezzlement of public funds during the major renovation of Khotynska Street. The project is worth over 200 million hryvnias. Investigators believe that the contractor and the technical supervisor may be involved in the scheme.
The former director of the contracting organization and the technical supervision engineer are charged with embezzlement of public funds and official forgery (Part 5 of Article 191, Part 2 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
In 2020, the Department of Housing and Communal Services of the Chernivtsi City Council entered into a contract with a contractor for the major repair of Khotynska Street in Chernivtsi.
The total cost of the contract work exceeded 200 million UAH. Work on the project was completed in 2023, but just a few years later, the road surface on certain sections of the street was in poor condition.
According to the investigation, when laying the top layer of the road surface, the contractor failed to use over 238 tons of asphalt concrete mix as specified in the design and cost estimate documentation.
An expert examination confirmed that the density and water content of the asphalt concrete pavement do not meet the requirements of state standards and the project. Despite this, the contractor and the technical supervisor included knowingly false information in the acceptance certificates for the completed construction work
The cost of the work performed was overstated by nearly 850,000 UAH, resulting in losses to the local budget. During the pre-trial investigation, the losses were fully compensated, according to the Office of the Prosecutor General.
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