Bashtanka mayor misappropriated public funds

The mayor of Bashtanka , Oleksandr Berehovoi, has been notified of being suspected of embezzlement. He is accused of misappropriating community money while purchasing clothing for the military.

This is stated in the statement of the Prosecutor General.

According to the investigation, the mayor embezzled about a third of the funds allocated for winter clothing for the military. This happened through a scheme with overpriced procurement. Investigators found that Berehovoi signed contracts with two private entrepreneurs for more than UAH 1.1 million to purchase 150 sets of winter clothing and boots. However, the examination showed that the prices in the documents were significantly overstated. According to witnesses, the mayor acted through a deputy and intermediaries who bought the uniforms at a regular price and then sold them at a tender at an inflated price, pocketing the difference.

In particular, the prosecutor's office reported on 19 more suspicions announced to officials in Mykolaiv region. In addition to the Bashtanka mayor, they include:

• The director of UMR Hydroenergobud for the illegal extraction of more than 116 thousand cubic meters of granite.
• Three officials of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection - two for bribery and one for negligence.
• The director of the State Enterprise "Mykolaiv Oblast Local Roads Agency" and the head of a contractor company for embezzlement of funds allocated for the protection of a power facility.
• Other officials - for abuses during the construction of the bridge, the purchase of electrical equipment and generators at inflated prices, and illegal bonuses.

The exact amount of damage caused to Mykolaiv region has not been disclosed. However, along with Mykolaiv region, the prosecutor's office also checked Zaporizhzhia region, where officials received 9 suspicions. In total, the damage is almost UAH 375 million.

Катерина Глушко