The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has banned all employees of a number of non-governmental organizations and enterprises from mobilizing, including the private firm GARDE, which is owned by close relatives of the ex-mayor of Zhytomyr, Volodymyr Deboy.
Journalists of 360UA NEWS found out how the company of the top regional leader and figure in a number of corruption scandals Volodymyr Deboy ended up on the lists of the Cabinet of Ministers.
At first glance, the presence of PF "GARDE" in the lists of the Cabinet looks logical - even before the start of the full-scale invasion, in 2021, Volodymyr Deboy was listed in the team of consultants in the NEFKO project "Energy efficiency of small and united communities of Ukraine". Currently, the PF "GARDE" participates in NEFKO projects within the framework of the grant program of actions "EU support for the urgent needs of accommodation of internally displaced persons in Ukraine".
At the same time, the journalists of our publication were interested in the ambiguous background of Volodymyr Deboy, which is difficult to connect with his current occupation.
Volodymyr Deboy is a top functionary of the Party of Regions, during the time of the mayor in Zhytomyr he was involved in a high-profile corruption scandal: before engaging in "energy efficiency", Deboy, using his official position, tried to transfer housing maintenance from ZHEKs to his pocket companies .
Also, during his tenure, Volodymyr Deboy " became famous " throughout Ukraine for the fact that a year after being elected mayor, he wanted a Toyota Highlander SUV for his own use 600,000 UAH of budget funds.
"GARDE" PF, which belongs to Volodymyr Deboy's mother - Ludmila Deboy, during Deboy's tenure as mayor, was also exposed more than once in various types of corruption, using administrative resources. Until 2016, the main activity of PF "GARDE" was "service of drinks", and some objects belonging to the company, during the mayorship of Deboy, turned from "stalls" into "temporary catering pavilions", such as a log cabin on Chernyakhovskogo Street . In addition, the firm tried to legalize land plots under former MAFs.
Also, the sale of illegally manufactured tobacco products without excise stamps was probably carried out through Deboy's MAF network, which is why in 2021 searches were conducted at another enterprise owned by Deboy's family - Zhytomyrpivo LLC . We will remind, in 2021 Volodymyr Deboy already cooperated with NEFKO.
PF "GARDE" - from "bottlenecks" to activities in the field of "energy efficiency" and "accommodation of IDPs"
The private company "Garde" was founded back in 1994, one of the directions of its work was the sale of products of Ukrainian manufacturers, including the Zhytomyr Brewery. At the end of 2016, PF "GARDE" changed its main type of activity: from "beverage service" to "activities in the field of engineering, geology and geodesy, providing technical consulting services in these areas."
From 2021, publications begin to appear in the press, where Volodymyr Deboy and PF "GARDE" appear together with the Northern Ecological Financial Corporation (NEFKO) in projects to implement energy efficiency programs and accommodate internally displaced persons in Ukraine.
According to the experts interviewed by us, Volodymyr Deboy's interest in NEFKO grant projects may be more pragmatic than it seems at first glance. After all, through NEFKO, European grant funds in the amount of millions of euros enter Ukraine, the actual administrators of which are local self-government bodies. In such a scheme, the same corruption risks are present as in the development of budget funds. Strictly speaking, a very familiar environment for Volodymyr Deboy.
As an example, consider of conversion of a dormitory into a "smart apartment" for IDPs in Chortkov, Ternopil Oblast, implemented with the participation of NEFKO According to the Chortkiv city council, 1 million 960 thousand euros spent . Simple calculations show that a small one-room smart apartment actually cost 50,000 euros.
For comparison, a fully furnished two-room apartment in Chortkiv costs about 33,000 euros. And a furnished one-room apartment in a new building can be purchased for 27,000 euros.
According to our sources, in such cases, the corruption component is possible due to the involvement of local contractors who inflate the prices for the execution of works and the purchase of construction materials. Usually, the contractor is provided by the local government, and companies like "GARDE" help to prepare all the necessary documents to receive grant assistance.
