A trial has begun in Mykolaiv against an official accused of embezzling 1.3 million on traffic lights

The Ingulsky District Court in Mykolaiv has begun hearing the case against Grigory Patoka, the suspended head of the Mykolaiv City Council’s municipal specialized installation and maintenance enterprise, and his wife, Kateryna. The couple is accused of embezzling 1.3 million hryvnias in public funds during the procurement of traffic lights.

According to Nikcenter, the indictment has already been filed with the court, and the first hearing on the merits took place on July 10. Prosecutor Vladislav Yakubovsky stated that the indictment was drafted in accordance with the law and that there are no grounds for dismissing the case or returning it for further investigation. The prosecution also requested that the case be heard by a single judge.

During the hearing, Olga Lysenko, a representative of the legal department of the Mykolaiv City Council’s Housing and Utilities Department, filed a motion requesting that the city council’s procedural status be changed from that of an injured party to that of a witness.

According to the lawyer, the city council did not file a motion to be recognized as a victim and does not have any documents confirming that it suffered material damage.

Judge Mykola Konovets noted that the procedural status of the injured party had been determined by the pretrial investigation authorities. He explained that the issue of a possible change to this status could be resolved during the trial itself.

The court added the city council representative’s statement to the criminal case file. The next court hearing was scheduled for mid-August.

Earlier, law enforcement officials in Mykolaiv launched an investigation into the alleged embezzlement of budget funds during the renovation of road infrastructure. The case concerns the purchase of traffic lights, for which the city paid back in December 2025, but the equipment never actually appeared at the sites.

Андрій Колісніченко