For many years, Kharkiv has maintained a monopoly on the supply of products to educational and medical institutions, and it is connected to the family of the current regional prosecutor, Amil Omarov. According to official data, the key role in this scheme is played by the prosecutor's uncle, Shahin Anver oglu, founder and director of LLC "Firm "Khazar" LTD". His wife, FOP Omarova Sehrana Fikret Kizy, is also involved in the family business.
"Khazar" systematically wins tenders for the supply of products, despite the fact that the company's prices consistently exceed market prices by one and a half times. Competitors are cut off for formal reasons, in particular due to the alleged "lack of experience working with educational institutions." In parallel, the family has built a network of shell companies that participate in tenders, creating the appearance of competition.
The scheme generated significant profits, even when educational institutions were supplied with expired or substandard products. The court registry records that in 2013, the Ministry of Economic Development imposed sanctions on Khazar for smuggling goods from Turkey, banning the company from foreign economic activity. The decriminalization of smuggling by the Yanukovych government allowed it to avoid criminal liability.
The Turkish vector of the business was provided by another relative, Murad Omarov, Shahin’s brother. He founded the company “Harivest-VNZ” and was the dean of the preparatory faculty for foreigners at NURE. The scheme involved double payments from Turkish students, which came through the honorary consul of Ukraine in Izmir, Çetin Güverçin. The latter also helped in the movement of smuggled goods, which eventually ended up in Kharkiv educational institutions.
Other family members were also involved in the corrupt influence. The third brother, Azad Omarov, headed the regional and local housing and utilities inspectorate, and his son Amil Omarov is currently the prosecutor of the Kharkiv region. According to sources, the prosecutor actively intervened in situations where the interests of his relatives were affected. When Murad Omarov was temporarily suspended from the post of vice-rector of NURE for the duration of the inspection, his nephew immediately turned to the police with a demand to find out the reasons for such a decision.
Despite regular scandals surrounding product quality and procurement costs, Khazar continues to maintain its influence on the budget food market in Kharkiv. Only after a change in the leadership of NURE and an independent audit were some of the schemes broken: prices were reduced, and supplies were leveled in terms of quality.
The situation with the activities of the Omarov family indicates a systemic problem: the combination of business interests and official power creates corruption risks that have remained unregulated for decades.
