Corruption suspect Viktor Bondar continues construction

Deputy Viktor Bondar, who has been at the centre of a scandal involving corruption charges, continues to be involved in the construction of a residential complex on the site of the former Alexander Hospital. He has been suspended by the NABU and SAP in a case concerning a scheme to inflate prices for cable and wire products for "Ukrzaliznytsia".

As activist Volodymyr Bondarenko noted on his Facebook page, Viktor Bondar, together with former Kyiv City State Administration (KGAA) financial director Padalka, the owners of the limited liability company "Stroyinform", and the Nasikovskyi brothers, are engaged in the construction of a 40-storey residential building at 7-B Mechnikova Street.

The construction client is the company "Budinform", which in 2004 leased a 0.22-hectare plot of land for 15 years to build a residential complex with offices and an integrated parking lot. Town planning conditions were issued in 2010, but they lapsed in 2013 due to changes in legislation. Nevertheless, the State Architecture and Construction Inspectorate (GASI) issued a construction permit in 2018, which sparked protests among local residents living in neighbouring buildings. As a result, the court of first instance ruled that the actions of the GASI were unlawful. However, the developer continued to fight in the courts, and the legal proceedings lasted for years.

In addition, charges have been brought against Deputy Bondar and his partners regarding a corruption scheme involving the procurement of cables for "Ukrzaliznytsia". Based on information provided by the NABU, Bondar and his accomplices are accused of using their power and connections to inflate product prices, resulting in damages exceeding 140 million hryvnia. Consequently, the deputy faces imprisonment for a term of seven to 12 years.

According to the investigation, the group of accused used various schemes to increase the cost of products and sold them to "Ukrzaliznytsia" at inflated prices. Bondar is alleged to have used his deputy status to influence decisions and to receive illegal benefits from the implementation of the scheme.