Сorruption in restoration sector: new suspect
NABU and SAPO have served a suspicion notice on an accomplice of the owner of a construction company who attempted to bribe a high-ranking official of the Ministry of Reconstruction with real estate.
According to the investigation, in August 2023, the owner of a construction company, with the assistance of the head of a state-owned company, offered an undue advantage to the Minister of Restoration in the form of apartments in Kyiv with a total area of over 5,200 square meters and an estimated value exceeding UAH 170 million. In exchange, the top official had to uphold the agreements concluded between the construction company and a state-owned company regarding the development of a land plot of the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine and facilitate their implementation.
To conceal the crime, the real estate was to be "sold" to a top official's associate. To create the appearance the associate had enough funds for the alleged purchase of the apartments, the accomplice transferred the required sum to his account using a forged loan agreement as a pretext. The crime was uncovered after the transfer of 15 apartments.
The accomplice's actions fall under Part 5 Art. 27, Part 4 Art. 369 and Part 4 Art. 358 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The actual owner of the company and the head of a state-owned company were notified of suspicion in November 2023.
According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is considered not-guilty in the commission of a crime and cannot be subject to criminal punishment until he or she is found guilty by court.