Corruption Audit Exposes Mykolaiv Officials' False Declarations

The National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) has found signs of false information in the declaration of Gennadiy Pogorelov, head of the Interior Ministry's service center in Mykolaiv region.

According to the NACP's certificate, the audit showed that the official declared 81 bitcoins, valuing them at UAH 810,000. However, according to NACP estimates, the real value of this asset is over UAH 100 million.

During his explanation in 2024, Pogorelov stated that he had stored the cryptocurrency on two cold wallets, but lost access to one of them after evacuating Mykolaiv in 2022. He later claimed that the wallets had been stolen, but his wife was afraid to report it. However, the NACP did not accept these explanations, as the official did not provide documentary evidence of cryptocurrency ownership.

According to the agency, unconfirmed cryptocurrency can be used to conceal illicit enrichment. The NACP will now submit the materials for further consideration and possible legal consequences for Pogorelov.

MykolaivMP Maksym Dyrdin declared tens of thousands of funds in foreign currency, almost three million hryvnias, and state financial assistance.

A recent NACP audit of the declarations showed that only one of the reports contained no violations. Most of the mistakes were related to incorrect amounts. On average, 30% of officials made discrepancies of about UAH 15 million. The Center for Public Investigations reminded us which of the Mykolaiv Oblast officials tried to hide their financial reports.

A former deputy of the Mykolaiv Regional Council , Yuriy Kormyshkin , was granted bail in the amount of UAH 15 million. He is suspected of trying to legalize his wife's property. According to the investigation, in 2021-2022, she acquired assets worth more than UAH 20 million. In addition, in her declaration for 2023, she did not indicate two land plots that she used.

Андрій Колісніченко