17.07.2024 Corruption Kharkiv

How Ukrainian Universities Are Being Destroyed: Minister of Education Lisovyi’s Conspiracy with Servant of the People Odarchenko

Справа Андрія Одарченка – нардеп вийшов із СІЗО через день після обрання запобіжного заходу » Слово і Діло

Education in front-line Kharkiv is on the brink of collapse. Russian airstrikes are demolishing buildings of leading universities, while the Ministry of Education and Science decides to introduce unnecessary reforms that, instead of improving quality, are destroying education as a whole.

As a result, the Kharkiv National Technical University of Agriculture named after Petro Vasylenko, the Kharkiv State Zooveterinary Academy, the Kharkiv National Agrarian University named after V. V. Dokuchaev, and the Kharkiv State University of Food Technology and Trade have all disappeared from the orbit. All of them, along with their properties, lands, and equipment, have been incorporated into the newly created State Biotechnological University, which is under the direct control of the MP from “Servant of the People” – Andriy Odarchenko.

One of the merged universities is among the oldest in Ukraine.

What Was Hidden Behind the Merger of Universities?

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The real motivation behind the merger was the attempt by certain individuals to take control of the vast land assets of the universities. After all, what is the point of merging universities with different profiles?

Moreover, there is currently an active carve-up and distribution of lands belonging to the Kharkiv State Zooveterinary Academy in the Mala Danylivka area in the interests of DBTU and its rector, MP Odarchenko.

According to our materials related to the land distribution of four Kharkiv universities, the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv, by a ruling dated February 12, 2024 (Case No. 757/897/24-k), ordered the authorized officials of the National Police of Ukraine to enter the information into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations, and the Kyiv District Court of Kharkiv (Case No. 953/101/24 dated January 10, 2024) ordered the Security Service of Ukraine in Kharkiv region to start a pre-trial investigation. However, we have not received any extracts from law enforcement agencies. Does this not resemble an intentional cover-up of the activities of the Servant of the People?

Rector Odarchenko: Corruption and Ambition

One of the main initiators and lobbyists of the merger of the four HEIs into the State Biotechnological University was Andriy Odarchenko. Before obtaining his parliamentary mandate as a “Servant of the People” in 2019, he worked as the Dean of the Faculty of Trade and Customs Management at the Kharkiv State University of Food Technology and Trade.

“Servant of the People” is not Odarchenko’s first attempt to find his place in politics. In 2018, he officially made contributions amounting to 198.5 thousand hryvnias, financing Yevhen Murayev’s party “Nashi” (as became known from the party’s report to the NAPC). Although Odarchenko himself denied the information about financing the “Nashi” party.

The parliamentary mandate did not prevent Odarchenko from running for the rector’s position at DBTU in 2021, where the Servant successfully won.

Interestingly, the Ministry of Education and Science’s website accompanied the relevant news with a comment that “the elections were held openly, transparently, democratically, and in compliance with current legislation.” However, there are still doubts about the authenticity of the voting results.

By order No. 513-k, Odarchenko was appointed rector, and a contract was signed with him until December 30, 2026. The next order No. 514-k, the minister decided to “suspend” the contract (based on a personal statement) with Odarchenko until he resigns as a Member of Parliament. So why did Odarchenko run for the rector’s position if he would not be able to perform his functions due to incompatibility restrictions?

Is This Bold Attempt to Bypass Legislative Requirements Legally Flawless? No. The main issue here concerns the formal chronology. Even if two different orders have the same date and consecutive numbers, there is still a certain time gap between them. Perhaps this time was needed for Odarchenko to write a personal statement, which became the basis for order No. 514-k. During this interval, Odarchenko simultaneously held the position of rector and had the status of an MP, which is a violation of current legislation.

In response to our inquiry, the NAPC stated that it “is monitoring Odarchenko A.M.’s lifestyle, and the facts mentioned in the report will be taken into account during the lifestyle monitoring.” However, such verification has been ongoing for over six months. Is this not enough time to study the entire volume of the MP’s assets, property, and activities? Or is it, once again, a formal creation of the appearance of checks?

The Ministry of Education and Science’s Reaction to Odarchenko’s Rectorship

The new Minister Lisovyi called the issue of Odarchenko’s rectorship at DBTU a “painful question.”

“Yes, he continues to be a rector. The contract is suspended today. This issue is currently under judicial review. We are aware of this issue. Both the Ministry of Education and the Education Committee are involved. It’s a painful issue. The court case is ongoing, initiated by one of the public activists; I can’t recall exactly who. The ministry’s position has been formulated. In our opinion, everything should be in accordance with current legislation. There should be no exceptions,” said Lisovyi.

At the same time, the minister avoided giving a clear answer and did not clearly express either his personal position or the legal position of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine within the framework of the court process regarding Odarchenko. Perhaps these aspects simply should not be made public so as not to worsen the conditions for the division of HEI property under the guise of “mergers”?

What Is Odarchenko Remembered For?

To more accurately describe Odarchenko, it is worth recalling that in 2023, the MP was caught trying to bribe the head of the State Agency for Reconstruction and Development of Infrastructure of Ukraine, Mustafa Nayyem, to allocate funds for the repair of the DBTU building.

Odarchenko offered a reward of $50,000. Moreover, for the first time in Ukraine’s history, the bribe was offered in cryptocurrency.

The MP was charged with a crime under Part 4 of Article 369 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (offering, promising, or giving an improper benefit to an official). At the same time, the court set a bail of 15 million hryvnias, which Odarchenko quickly paid, and he was released from the detention center. Although the “Servant of the People” faction suspended Odarchenko’s membership, he still holds the mandate and is the rector of DBTU, continuing to carry out his own schemes.

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