A scheme with paid parking lots by the sea exposed in Odesa

In Odesa and Odesa district, officials of a utility company and the city council are being investigated over suspicions of abuse in the arrangement of paid parking lots by the sea. According to the investigation, the area of the sites was underestimated in the contracts, and access to the beaches was restricted by barriers.

This was reported by the press service of the Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office.

A large-scale investigation is underway in Odesa into possible abuses in the arrangement of paid parking lots near the Black Sea coast.

The Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office provides procedural guidance in criminal proceedings opened over abuse of office (Part 2 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) by officials of the Odestransparkservice utility and a department of the city council.

According to the investigation, when concluding contracts with entrepreneurs who received the right to operate paid parking lots in Odesa and Odesa district, the documents deliberately understated the area of the territories. In addition, barriers were erected in the coastal zone, effectively restricting the access of vacationers to the sea.

During the searches, law enforcement officers recorded these violations and have already taken steps to dismantle the barriers and ensure free access to the beaches. Currently, the work to restore legal access to the coast is being carried out jointly by the Prosecutor's Office, the National Police, the Cyber Police and the SBU Office in the region.

Last year in Odesa, deputies considered raising parking tariffs, citing the need to balance the budgets of companies that operate parking lots. The commission explained that the increase from 20 to 30 hryvnias was due to the growth of the minimum wage and the corresponding budget contributions.

And in 2023, the Odesa District Administrative Court considered a case in an open session to declare illegal the decision of the executive committee of the Odesa City Council to set tariffs for the use of paid parking lots in Odesa in favor of the plaintiff.

Анна Бальчінос