"Energomerezha" case: indictment sent to court

On June 16, 2020, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment against two possible participants in a corruption scheme to embezzle UAH 346.22 million from OJSC "Zaporizhzhiaoblenergo" (since 2017 - PJSC). They are:

• the ex-Chairman of the Board of PJSC "HC "Energomerezha" (Part 5 of Article 191, Part 3 of Article 27, Part 2 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine);
• the former acting General Director of OJSC "Zaporizhzhiaoblenergo" (Part 2 Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

As established, the corruption scheme caused consumers to pay for electricity to PJSC "HC "Energomerezha", an intermediary, instead of paying to the actual supplier - PJSC "Zaporizhzhiaoblenergo" (60% state-owned). The intermediary then settled with the energy supplier. As a result, consumers paid over UAH 196.82 million to PJSC "HC "Energomerezha" that transferred only UAH 1.7 million to PJSC "Zaporizhzhiaoblenergo" instead of expected UAH 346.22 million.

De jure Zaporizhzhiaoblenergo ceded to Energomerezha the right to collect debts from a string of companies - the largest consumers in Zaporizhia region. The scheme was active during 2014-2015 and used illegal agreements on assignment of claim rights.

For about three years, the head of Energomerezha was in hiding and on the wanted list. And only in April 2019, this person was extradited from Germany to Ukraine.

The second suspect, former acting General Director of Zaporizhzhyaoblenergo, is still wanted and, according to the investigation, is hiding in the territory of the Russian Federation.

NABU was investigating the above facts from Dec. 4, 2015 to August 2019. The investigation into other similar cases involving state-owned regional energy production companies is underway.

The National Bureau has also managed to invalidate five agreements on assignment of claim rights worth over UAH 346 million and secured the reimbursement of UAH 74 million.
 

According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is considered non-guilty in the commission of a crime and cannot be subject to criminal punishment until he or she is found guilty by court.

Photo zoe.com.ua