Declaration of Odesa City Council official contains false information worth over UAH 6 million

The National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption has conducted a full audit of the income declaration of Artem Zakharov, deputy director of the Department of Municipal Economy of the Odesa City Council, and found inaccurate information worth more than UAH 6 million.

As a result, the agency found that Artem Zakharov did not indicate in his declaration a 24-square-meter apartment in Mykolaiv, where he is from, the publication Antikorruptionnyi Vymir reported.

The official received the apartment in October 2023 on the basis of a care contract with a relative. He also did not list a 2005 Suzuki Grand Vitara, which his wife purchased in December 2022. Artem Zakharov explained that she immediately gave this car to her mother, so he decided not to declare it.

The NACP believes that Artem Zakharov provided false information about the cost of a 2023 Volvo XC60, which his wife Iryna purchased in May 2023 for more than UAH 3 million. The difference in value amounted to 334.2 thousand.

In November 2023, the official sold a 2020 Volvo XC90 for 2.7 million hryvnias. But he did not include the income from the sale of the car in his declaration. Artem Zakharov tried to justify this by saying that two days later he spent the money to buy a 2021 Range Rover Evoque. The NACP did not accept his explanation. Moreover, there was no information about the costs of this Range Rover in the official's declaration.

Also, Artem Zakharov did not indicate almost UAH 3 million of his wife's income from the sale of a 2020 Range Rover Velar. During the inspection, he also tried to explain this by saying that she immediately spent it on the same Volvo XC60.

The official forgot to indicate small incomes in the form of interest on bank deposits, investment income, and income from securities. He also forgot to mention deposits: about 60 thousand hryvnias, 17.8 thousand dollars, and 506 euros.

In total, the NACP counted discrepancies of UAH 6 million 148 thousand in the declaration of Artem Zakharov, deputy director of the Odesa Department of Housing and Communal Services. The agency believes that he violated Part 2 of Article 366-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (intentional submission of false information in the declaration).

If the official's guilt is proven, he faces a fine of 42,500 to 51,000 hryvnias or 150-200 hours of community service. In the worst case scenario, Artem Zakharov could face up to two years of restriction or imprisonment for this offense, with disqualification to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to three years.

Кирило Бойко