Vitaliy Tsimbalyuk, the head of the purchasing department of SE "Lisy Ukrainy" was at the center of the investigation, having received suspicion from the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) in the case of the purchase of phones worth almost UAH 19 million. However, this scandal reaches far beyond the borders of one outfit, because it is connected with political connections and internal conflicts in "Forests of Ukraine".
Vitaly Tsimbalyuk is the son of Mykhailo Tsimbalyuk, a People's Deputy from the "Batkivshchyna" party, who, according to public activist and military serviceman Oleksandr Gromov, was the patron of Yulia Davydova, the former acting head of the State Environmental Inspection in Zakarpattia Oblast.
Gromov also emphasizes that there are serious internal disputes within the "Forests of Ukraine" enterprise. According to him, Vitaliy Tsymbalyuk "has been disagreeable" to the general director of "Forests of Ukraine" Yury Bolokhovets for a long time. However, the main procurement processes, according to the activist, were managed by another person.
The subject of the investigation was the purchase of 2,500 smartphones for the company for a total of UAH 18.9 million. This raised suspicions of overcharging. One smartphone cost the company 7.5 thousand. UAH
According to the State Audit Service, there were violations in the procurement process, in particular improper determination of the subject of procurement, violations of procedures and deadlines for information disclosure.
Despite this, the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine" stated that the purchase of smartphones was economically justified: "The phones are equipped with payment terminals for contactless payments in forestry. This helps to save on maintenance of cash registers. The investment will pay off quickly."
According to Gromov, two more officials of the enterprise received suspicions from the SBI: executive director Ihor Lytsur and the head of the information technology department. He also suggests that General Director Yurii Bolokhovets can use this situation to eliminate "unwanted" employees and "clear a place for his sharers."
At the official level, the SBI has not yet disclosed the details of the investigation. However, this case may have far-reaching consequences not only for "Forests of Ukraine", but also for the political structures associated with them.
