Officials at a railway carriage manufacturing plant are suspected of embezzling funds from Ukrzaliznytsia
Under the procedural supervision of the Pechersk District Prosecutor’s Office in Kyiv, the former director, current director and head of department of a railway carriage manufacturing plant have been notified of their status as suspects in connection with the misappropriation of funds belonging to JSC ‘Ukrzaliznytsia’. This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General.
According to the investigation, a contract was concluded between Ukrzaliznytsia and the company for the supply of passenger carriages and wheel sets for use on Ukrainian and European gauge tracks. This concerns rolling stock for international transport.
The manufactured products were delivered and put into service. However, a few years later, during routine maintenance, critical defects were discovered, including cracks and breaks in key components of the carriages and bogies. The standard service life of these components is tens of years.
According to Ruslan Kravchenko, expert assessments established the use of steel with substandard physical and technical characteristics, as well as violations during welding work.
As a result, the carriages became unfit for service well before the specified deadline. The losses to the state are estimated at over 64 million hryvnias.
The officials’ actions have been classified under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the Pechersk Police Department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Kyiv, with operational support from the Security Service of Ukraine.
In accordance with Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent until their guilt has been proven in accordance with the law and established by a court conviction.
