SBU raids automobile road service in Khmelnytsky region
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on Monday raided the automobile road service in Khmelnytsky region, one of the lawmakers resisted the response group and an SBU officer was injured, SBU spokesperson Olena Hytlianska has said.
According to a source, private enterprise Agrarian Company 2007 and public joint-stock company Khmelnytsky ShBU-56 were raided. The companies are under control of MP Serhiy Labaziuk (People's Will lawmaker group).
Hytlianska confirmed the fact of beating an SBU officer by the lawmaker. She said that the National Police will investigate into the fact of beating.
The press service of SBU later reported that the service jointly with Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) have unveiled a many-million embezzlement of budget funds by officials of the automobile road service in Khmelnytsky region organized via commercial structures owned by one of the lawmakers.
"The law enforcers established that in 2015 and 2016 the 'road' officials signed several current road repair contracts with two commercial structures. SBU officers found that the firms belong to one of the lawmakers. He also supervised the activities of the road service. He approved the facilities for repair and the cost of works for the agency," SBU said.
The press service said that one of the firms received an order to repair roads for UAH 17.2 million in 2015 and this year another firm "used" UAH 75.5 million. It was planned to send UAH 34.4 million more to the firm.
SBU said that SBU officers established that the contractors violated technologies and used fewer materials than it was required. The officials of the road service approved the acceptance acts with untrue data about the cost of the works.
During the election campaign the lawmaker repaired a local road for UAH 3.5 million using budget funds in violation of the budget legislation to burnish his credentials.
The raids were carried out in a criminal case opened under Part 2 of Article 364 (abuse of authority or office).
"Owners of the firm called 40 security guards to resist to SBU officers," SBU said.
