Suspicion over the reconstruction of the customs office: documents point to Mykolaiv resident Davyd Makaryan

The former director of the Department of the State Customs Service was notified of suspicion of embezzling 3.2 million UAH during the reconstruction of the Krasnoyilsk checkpoint on the border with Romania. It is likely referring to former People’s Deputy, native of Mykolaiv David Makaryan. This was recently reported by the Chernivtsi regional prosecutor’s office, which did not name the suspect.

According to investigators, in 2021 the official headed the State Customs Service’s tender committee and facilitated the victory of a Kyiv-based company with an offer of nearly 105 million UAH, although two other participants offered a lower price. The estimated cost of the checkpoint reconstruction was 107,497,482 UAH.

According to the official Prozorro protocol, three companies participated in the tender:

• LLC «Techno-Bud Service» — 97,761,352 UAH;
• LLC «Alternatyva-V» — 102,564,241.86 UAH;
• LLC «Agro Construction» — 104,980,000 UAH.

The tender committee rejected the two cheaper bids due to non-compliance with the documentation requirements. The winner was the Kyiv-based LLC «Agro Construction». According to the investigation, the head of the tender committee aided the selection of this company despite the existence of more economically advantageous offers.

After the reconstruction was completed in 2022 he signed the certificates of completed works without properly checking the contractor’s calculations. Expert examinations determined that the cost of certain construction materials was overstated by 3.2 million UAH.

Open documents of the State Customs Service show that in 2021 David Makaryan headed the Department of Administrative and Economic Activities and was the head of the tender committee. The court imposed a preventive measure on the former official in the form of bail of over 660,000 UAH. The investigation is being conducted by the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR).

According to the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is considered innocent until their guilt is proven by a guilty verdict of a court.

Previously we wrote:

• Former MP from Mykolaiv David Makaryan received a deputy minister post
• State dachas for former officials: David Makaryan was also mentioned among the tenants
• Three million on free sand: a former official is suspected of embezzling public funds
• Winter uniforms “ate” the budget: the mayor will be tried for embezzlement of over 1.1 million
• Over 550 thousand “flowed” from the budget: an official is suspected of embezzling funds