Photo from UNIAN
Ukrainian law enforcement agencies and the Anti-Corruption Bureau will probe the facts published by the press regarding a new general director of the State Rail Transport Administration, or Ukrzaliznytsia, Olexander Zavgorodnyi to bring the case to a conclusion, according to Ukrainian Justice Minister Pavlo Petrenko, who commented on an Ukrainska Pravda article about the official's companies registered as his family members' property.
"Harmful for Ukraine is both grassroots corruption faced by citizens, as well as 'macro-corruption.' I am sure that our law enforcement agencies and the Anti-Corruption Bureau will bring this case to a conclusion. Now the information published by the media influences law enforcement more seriously than a few years ago. So I hope that this information [regarding Zavgorodnyi and his companies] will be investigated and a judgment will be made in line with laws, should this information be confirmed," Petrenko said.
As earlier reported, Olexander Zavgorodnyi announced at the Ukraine Crisis Media Center on July 14, 2015, that the company registered as property of his family members had never worked with the Ukrainian railways.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian online publication Ukrainska Pravda posted an article about cooperation between the companies owned by Zavgorodnyi's son and brother and Ukrzaliznytsia. The mentioned companies not only won auctions called by Prydniprovska Railways, provided services at higher than market rates (as confirmed by the State Financial Inspectorate), but also owe payment for transportation services, which made the railways go to court.
It was reported that A.S. Engineering Group and Sferabud Invest had been actively cooperating with Prydniprovska Railways at the time when Zavgorodnyi worked at senior positions there.
Zavgorodnyi was appointed Acting Director General at Ukrzaliznytsia by Ukraine's Infrastructure Minister Andriy Pyvovarsky without a respective contest being called.