Top managers of PJSC Kyivmetrobud, acting as a contractor general in the project to extend the Syretsko-Pecherska subway line in Kyiv’s subway, is ready to cooperate with law enforcement authorities in order to continue construction works, Director General of PJSC Kyivmetrobud Kostiantyn Saliy said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Wednesday.
“The owners of Kyivmetrobud unanimously appointed me as director general, so that the previous director, Mr. Metelytsia, could deal with what he is directly doing – the construction of the subway. Political, media and team reorganization issues will be led by the director general,” Saliy said.
According to him, the enterprise will conduct an inventory of material and technical assets, as well as turn to law enforcement authorities regarding the likely embezzlement of funds.
“At the moment, the Prosecutor General’s Office has decided to seize accounts. They are also developing a “recipe” on how to control the distribution of these funds transparently. We believe that it’s good that the Prosecutor General’s Office will be present and observe how the work is being done. The Prosecutor General’s Office will also have access to documents, [will see] where the funds went, what work was done, who signed papers with margins, and will identify the whole range of interested parties,” Saliy added, noting that resolving the situation around the enterprise depends on law enforcement authorities.
As reported with reference to the press service of the Prosecutor General’s Office, the investigating judge of Kyiv’s Pechersky district court seized money in the bank accounts of PJSC Kyivmetrobud and its branches.
“In the future, the Prosecutor General’s Office will appeal to court with a motion to transfer these funds to the ARMA [Asset Recovery and Management Agency] with the possibility of making payments to build the subway under control of the state,” the press service said.
Oleh Tokarev, the head of the Kyivmetrobud’s supervisory board, said at the press conference at Interfax-Ukraine that the reason for the change in the company’s management is the unsatisfactory pace of subway construction towards the Vynohradar area, due to which the launch of the subway line is postponed for a year.
“The amount of the tender is UAH 6 billion. At the end of the year, an advance payment of UAH 2.6 billion was received. During the year that we lived with Director General Vasyl Kobil, UAH 1 billion was spent and work for UAH 150 million was completed but not signed by the customer. “This is only 2.5% of the contract amount. Therefore, on December 17, the supervisory board decided to dismiss Kobil and appoint Oleksandr Metelytsia to the post of director general,” he said.
In turn, Managing Partner of the Ilyashev & Partners law firm Mykhailo Ilyashev said that a “series of myths” about the seizure of the enterprise are being spread and suggested that “the problem was inspired by the former head.”
He also commented on the statement of the Justice Ministry on the reinstatement of the director of PJSC Kyivmetrobud and making appropriate changes to the public register.
“The minister did not annul anything. He did not cancel any decisions of the supervisory board and could not cancel, because this is outside the competence of the Justice Ministry. Most likely, this was about the conclusions made by the commission under the Justice Ministry that the notary who made changes to the register made a technical error. Today, these documents will be submitted to the notary so that the relevant changes are introduced again,” Ilyashev said, emphasizing that the statement of the ministry does not cast doubt on the lawfulness of the decisions of the supervisory board.
As reported, in 2018, Kyiv Metropoliten entered into an agreement on construction work to extend the Syretsko-Pecherska subway line with Kyivmetrobud, which won the tender held on the ProZorro platform.
As part of the first phase of work, it is planned to build two stations, Mostytska and Prospekt Pravdy, at a section of almost 4 km, and branches to the Vynohradar station to extend the line.
It was planned that the work will last until 2021, and its cost will be UAH 5.993 billion.
