80 million for servers and clearing out guards: controversial purchases by the employment center under the leadership of Zhovtyak

The State Employment Center, headed by Yulia Zhovtyak, has been at the center of a scandal related to large-scale procurement. This includes tens of millions of hryvnias spent on equipment and contracts that have raised numerous questions about their transparency.

In 2023, the center signed an agreement with the IT Escort company for the supply of server equipment valued at nearly 80 million hryvnias. Journalists drew attention to the fact that the company received more than 55 million hryvnias (approximately 70% of the total cost) immediately after signing the contract, despite the company’s experience with implementing similar agreements.

The equipment was supposed to be installed by the end of the year, but it is currently unknown what exactly was delivered, under what conditions this equipment is, and whether it is functioning. This incident has already attracted the attention of law enforcement, and the criminal proceedings are aimed at checking whether the center’s officials colluded with the contractor, inflating prices, and misappropriating budget funds.

Less than six months after the “server” purchase, the Employment Center announced four more large-scale tenders with a total value of about 60 million hryvnias. The procurement terms were distributed according to the territorial principle; however, among the winners was a security company that subsequently changed its business profile to a cleaning service. The tender documentation even retained the old company logo, which had previously specialized in security.

Such cases cast doubt on the validity of the choice of contractors and the actual use of public funds.

At the same time, the organization continues to invest in modernizing its technical support, having recently announced a tender for the purchase of personal computers and previously concluded a contract worth 2.5 million hryvnias for monitors. All this is happening in a context of war and budget deficit, which raises questions about the appropriateness of such spending, since the main goal of the service should be to support citizens in difficult times.

In her comments, Yulia Zhovtyak emphasized that all income and property were declared, and the cash is an accumulation of many years of work. She also noted that the NACP checked her reports and did not find any violations.

While the country is fighting for survival in war conditions, a struggle continues within the state employment system for control over financial flows and the preservation of privileges. If society continues to ignore such cases, a situation may arise where the main line of conflict runs not only at the front, but also in the sphere of morality.