Car seized from head of Koblivka village council in case of budget fraud

A luxury car was seized, and a budget contract raised questions about works that could only exist on paper. The head of the Koblivka village council is on trial over a deal worth more than half a million hryvnias made at the expense of the community.

This was reported by the Center for Public Investigations.

According to the investigation, the head of the Koblivka village council improperly controlled the use of budget funds and approved documents for work that could not be completed in full or at all.

According to the website of the Koblivka community, its head is Volodymyr Panych. This refers to an agreement signed in March 2023 between the Koblivka village council and the state enterprise National Infrastructures and Projects. The document provided for research, analysis, and scientific and design work related to the use of land and water resources of the community. Initially, the value of the contract was over UAH 635 thousand, and later the amount was clarified to UAH 634,464.

Investigators say that in 2023, the village head signed the acceptance certificates without proper verification of their actual performance, scope and quality. The documents stated that research, water sampling, development of technical solutions and preparation of the final report were carried out. At the same time, law enforcement officers are convinced that some of these works were performed with violations or not at all. The signed acts, according to the prosecution, became the basis for the payment of budget funds to the contractor.

Separately, the investigation indicates that the materials prepared did not comply with state building codes and requirements for design documentation. According to law enforcement, the amount of losses incurred by the community was estimated at UAH 634,464.

Prosecutors brought the case to court in April 2026. Later, they also filed a civil lawsuit on behalf of the state and the Koblivka village council demanding compensation for the damage.

To guarantee possible compensation, the prosecutor's office requested the seizure of several items of the defendant's property - an apartment, a garage, two land plots, and a 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado. According to the prosecution, this was to make it impossible to alienate the property until the case was completed.

The court confirmed the official's ownership of these assets, but emphasized the need for proportionality between the amount of damage and the amount of seized property.

The case file indicates that the market value of the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado is approximately UAH 724 to UAH 786 thousand, which the court found to be proportionate to the claim of over UAH 634 thousand. At the same time, the prosecutor's office did not provide sufficient evidence of their market value for the apartment, garage and land plots.

As a result, the court partially granted the motion - only the official's car was seized. He was prohibited from selling, donating, re-registering or otherwise disposing of the vehicle until a separate court decision is made. The rest of the prosecutor's demands were denied.

Also in Mykolaiv, law enforcement officers are investigating a case of possible embezzlement of more than UAH 1.2 million of budget funds during the purchase of traffic lights for the city. The court arrested documents of the companies involved in the criminal proceedings.

Анна Бальчінос