Businesswoman Sentenced for Negligence, Misappropriation of ₴8M in Mykolaiv School Renovation

A businesswoman from the Mykolaiv region was accused of negligence in office for improperly controlling the renovation of a school, which led to the misappropriation of local budget funds. The court sentenced her to probation for two years and a fine.

This is evidenced by the ruling of the Zhovtnevyi District Court of Mykolaiv Oblast.

In November 2023, the Department of Education, Youth and Sports of the Shevchenkivske Village Council and the Construction Reliable Investments company signed an agreement for the overhaul of the roof of the school's educational building. This was one of the facilities financed to eliminate the consequences of the war, and the total contract amount was almost UAH 8 million.

Later, an agreement was signed with an entrepreneur who was to be responsible for technical supervision of the repairs. However, the investigation showed that the entrepreneur did not check whether all the work was performed in accordance with the contract. As a result, she signed certificates of completion worth more than UAH 2.5 million, although in fact the work was not fully completed. This created conditions for further misappropriation of local budget funds.

Subsequently, payment was made on the basis of these acts, which allowed three persons acting in the interests of the contractor to misappropriate part of the budget funds. These facts became the basis for opening criminal proceedings.

The court found the businesswoman guilty of negligence, which led to financial losses. Pursuant to Article 75 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, she was released from the main punishment of imprisonment with a probationary period of two years, provided that she does not commit a new crime during this period. In addition, she has to pay a fine of UAH 12,750 and will not be able to engage in business activities for a year.

By court order, she is obliged to periodically register with the authorized probation authority and report any changes in her place of residence, work or study. After the sentence enters into force, the bail of UAH 600 thousand will be returned. The court also canceled the seizure of half of the apartment building and the car.

Recently, a large-scale corruption scheme was uncovered in the Mykolaiv region: investigators suspect that the former management misappropriated almost UAH 3 million intended for teachers' salaries. The court has already granted access to bank documents as part of the criminal proceedings.

Meanwhile, the director of the SviatoslavBiloberezhzhzhya National Park was released from the Mykolaiv pre-trial detention center after posting bail of over UAH 600,000. According to the investigation, back in 2023, he organized a scheme of extortion from employees using his personnel powers.

Анна Бальчінос