An investigation into the embezzlement of funds intended for the renovation of a soccer field has been completed in the Odesa region

<span><span><span><span><span><span>Prosecutors have filed an indictment with the court against an official from one of the village councils in the Odesa region who, according to the prosecution, was involved in financial fraud during the renovation of a sports field.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>This was reported by the Odesa Regional Prosecutor’s Office. </span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>According to the case file, in 2021, the village council entered into a contract with a contractor to renovate a mini-soccer field for nearly 2.3 million hryvnias. Work under this contract never began, yet the official, who was serving as the village council chair at the time, signed completion certificates. </span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>Prosecutors found that false information had been included in the documents. Specifically, the documents overstated the field’s area, the cost of artificial turf, soccer goals, and other work that was not actually performed. Based on these certificates, funds were transferred to the contractor. </span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>The losses to the community resulting from this agreement amounted to nearly 300,000 hryvnias.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

Previously in Kherson, a contractor was investigated for embezzling funds during the renovation of a public square. Law enforcement officials are examining how the work was carried out under the two contracts. 

According to investigators, between 2021 and 2023, funds from the Kherson community’s budget may have been misappropriated during the restoration of landscaping elements in Potemkin Square. The total value of the two contracts exceeds 10.2 million hryvnias.

Юлія Калабайда