"Bribes are no longer given": Billions are being stolen globally by cashless payments - expert Viktor Medved

Corruption schemes in road repairs in Ukraine are carried out through intermediaries - foreign contractors.

This was announced during a press conference at the GolosUA news agency by Viktor Medvid, director of the William Invest Expert consulting firm.

Corruption schemes in the repair of Ukrainian roads are run through intermediaries, Medved said.

The main funds are stolen by bank transfer, the expert explained. "There are foreign partners, so money is transferred abroad, and it is very difficult to follow them there. Today, no one gives any bribes to anyone, billions are being stolen globally by bank transfer. The conclusion is that contractors for road repairs should be domestic, and then everything will be visible - every single screw," the expert emphasized.

According to him, the problem in road construction is that the level of funding of UAH 50 million is based on the principle of road accidents. The road accident rate of about 97% has been maintained in Ukraine annually since the late 90s in this vein. Most of the state funding and local budgets are used to maintain the current accident rate.

"Depending on the size of the pothole, it should be repaired within half a day - 72 hours. It doesn't matter if it was an accident or rather an accident.

Emergency road repairs in Ukraine exceed capital construction. We build exactly as many new roads as we decommission roads," Mr. Medved emphasized.

The expert added that the most important factor is that even if billions were not stolen, the situation would not have changed. Funding for road construction today is about UAH 2 trillion. The budget for the year should be UAH 150 billion + UAH 30 billion for the corruption part, which is UAH 180 billion needed per year.

"As a rule, we mostly repair only the surface layer of the road, which serves as a depreciation function. Moreover, the asphalt on the road repaired in dry weather lasts more or less longer," said Mr. Medved.

According to the expert, the key factor in road repairs in terms of financing is that those who use them most often, such as grain carriers and other carriers, have to pay more; individuals bear less financial burden.