After a long downtime in April of this year, the chemical plant "SumiChimProm" resumed its activities. However, the restoration of the enterprise was accompanied by a scandal related to inflated prices for raw materials and questionable origin of goods. Journalistic investigations revealed that the plant became dependent on the intermediary company "Ukrminkhim" LLC, which is engaged in the supply of raw materials and the sale of finished products.
Scam and inflated prices
According to the investigation, Ukrminchem supplies SumyChimProm with raw materials such as sulfur, ammonia, phosphorites and potassium chloride, and then takes the complex fertilizers produced at the plant for sale. It is interesting that the company does not have its own sources of production of raw materials, but simply buys them abroad and resells them to the factory, while setting inflated prices.
According to the investigation, Ukrminhim LLC works through a network of European one-day companies registered in different countries and help inflate prices for raw materials. The result of this scheme is significant financial losses for the state plant. Each delivery can cost SumyKhimProm $300-400 thousand more than if raw materials were purchased directly from manufacturers. Intermediaries receive a profit of approximately $20-30 per ton.
Of particular concern is the fact that the raw materials supplied to the plant are often of dubious origin. For example, one of the latest contracts of TD Ukrminhim LLC for the supply of phosphorites from the Slovak company Z9 Impex sro shows a significant difference in price. On August 1, 2024, phosphorites purported to originate from Egypt were bought for €107 per tonne, while the real Egyptian supplier Chem Source Egypt is offering the same raw material at $40-50 per tonne.
However, as the journalists found out, phosphorites have an "Egyptian" origin only on paper. For example, one of the bills of lading showed that the raw materials were loaded in Lebanon, almost on the border with Syria. This indicates that the phosphorites are actually of Syrian origin. Under-sanctioned goods of Russia's ally are disguised as Egyptian goods with the help of fake certificates.
Such a supply scheme not only undermines the financial stability of SumyKhimProm, but can also have serious consequences for the quality of products manufactured at the plant. In conditions where transparency and efficient use of resources are important, such practices create additional risks and may negatively affect the reputation and competitiveness of the enterprise.
Against the background of these events, Vitaliy Viktorovich Loginov, an informal adviser to the head of the OGHC since 2023, according to journalists, controls this network and is a key figure in this scheme. The situation requires a detailed investigation and the intervention of the relevant authorities to stop the violation and ensure the proper functioning of the state plant.
