An official from the Department of Culture in the Mykolaiv region embezzled funds

In Pervomaisk, an accountant at the Department of Culture systematically inflated payroll amounts and transferred the excess funds to her own bank accounts. The scheme had been ongoing since 2019, and in 2022 it continued even during martial law.

This was stated in the verdict of the Pervomaisk City and District Court. 

As investigators determined, the accountant of the Department of Culture, Nationalities, Religion, Youth, and Sports of the Pervomaisk City Council acted in collusion with the department’s chief accountant. She had the authority to sign financial documents and access to the Raiffeisen Business Online system, and could also use the department head’s electronic signature. It was through this system that electronic records were generated, based on which inflated salaries were transferred to the accountants’ bank accounts.

Consequently, in 2019, the total amount of such overpayments exceeded 141,000 hryvnias, and in 2020, it reached 202,000, bringing the total to over 343,000.  From January through July 2021, the amount of excessive payments totaled over 203,000 hryvnias. 

After the start of the full-scale invasion, as stated in the verdict, the women again conspired to embezzle budget funds. Consequently, in the incidents occurring in 2022 alone, the excess payments totaled over 197,000. 

The former official fully admitted her guilt, expressed remorse, and compensated for the damage caused. The representative of the department did not object to the plea agreement.

The court approved the plea agreement and sentenced the woman to five years in prison but suspended her sentence for a one-year probationary period. She was also barred for two years from engaging in activities related to accounting, financial transactions, and expenditures in the public sector.

As reported by Intent, the prosecutor’s office filed an indictment in March alleging the embezzlement of budget funds. In total, the woman embezzled approximately 1.2 million in budget funds.

Анна Літман