Director of Municipal Enterprise in Mykolaiv pleads not guilty to embezzlement at school lunches

Funds allocated for school meals, which were supposed to provide children with safe lunches, have become the focus of a criminal investigation. Instead of proper control, violations were ignored, and instead of quality assurance, threats were created for which the government now has to answer in court.

This was reported by the Center for Public Investigations.

The defendant in the case is a municipal enterprise that organizes meals in Mykolaiv educational institutions - the structure responsible for providing schoolchildren with food. It was through this company that the tender was held, which is now being investigated as part of the proceedings on possible abuse of office and embezzlement of budget funds.

On November 13, 2025, the company announced the purchase of catering services for schools worth more than UAH 14 million. The winner of the bidding was Prosecco 8 LLC, with whom the contract was signed on December 1.

At first glance, the procedure looked standard: the contractor had to provide students with food in accordance with established standards, approved menus and sanitary requirements.

However, on December 12, an inspection by the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection at the contractor's facilities revealed serious violations. These were systemic shortcomings: lack of product quality control, improper accounting of raw materials, and ignoring documents confirming food safety.

The investigation found that the head of the utility company was aware of the contractor's gross violations of sanitary legislation, but failed to take appropriate measures. There was virtually no control over the quality and safety of the products: no accompanying documents were checked, no expiration dates were monitored, and no records of raw materials were kept.

Despite the obvious risks and systemic nature of the violations, there was no response from the official. The contract with the contractor was terminated only on December 15, after the violations had been officially recorded.

According to the investigation, the official, using his official position, created conditions for possible embezzlement of budget funds - in particular, by creating grounds for payment for services that did not actually meet the requirements. The court imposed on him a preventive measure of detention with the possibility of bail in excess of UAH 240 thousand. After posting bail, he was released from the pre-trial detention center but remained under procedural restrictions.

The director of the company denied the charges, and his defense insisted that there was insufficient evidence. At the same time, the court granted the investigation's motion and extended his duties until April 23, 2026.

The head of the company, Petro Vasheniak, was served with a notice of suspicion in December last year under the article on attempted embezzlement of property by abuse of office. If proven guilty, he faces up to eight years in prison. In January, he was removed from office.

According to the YouControl analytical system, the company Prosecco 8 was registered in 2023 by a resident of Mykolaiv, Serhii Markin. He is associated with dozens of companies, many of which are inactive or have changed owners.

In the city , Markin was engaged in mass registration of companies, including so-called "one-day firms" that can be used in schemes with dubious financial transactions. Some of these structures later became the property of individuals associated with former MP Borys Kozyr.

In March 2024, the company was re-registered to a resident of the city , Iryna Stoyeva. Two months later, she won the auction. The company has also been linked to the district administration. The Ingul district in Mykolaiv is headed by Hanna Remennikova, who is also the owner of the contractor company. After a public outcry, Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych ordered the contract with the contractor to be terminated early.

Law enforcement is currently investigating the case of possible misappropriation of budget funds through abuse of office and violation of sanitary standards.

Анна Бальчінос