Ex-head of Kherson utility company put on the wanted list for misappropriation of funds

The former head of a Kherson utility company is suspected of embezzlement during the occupation of the city. The court took him into custody in absentia without the right to bail and put him on the international wanted list.

This was reported by Anti-Corruption Dimension.

The court took into custody in absentia the former head of the Kherson Municipal Transport Service, who is suspected of embezzling budget funds during the temporary occupation of the city. He was denied bail, and the ruling will remain in effect until he is detained and brought to court.

The investigation established that in April-May 2022, when Kherson was controlled by Russian troops, the official transferred more than UAH 630 thousand from the company's account to the cards of five people. These transfers were formalized as payment for work performed, but, according to law enforcement, none of these people actually worked.

The company received the money from the city budget by decision of the executive committee on April 8, 2022, and payment documents were signed through the bank's electronic cabinet using the director's personal electronic signature.

In April 2025, he was notified of being suspected of embezzlement on a large scale. According to eyewitnesses, the man is hiding in the occupied Skadovsk, Kherson region, which is why he was put on the national and international wanted list.

The court agreed with the investigators' arguments that the suspect is not only hiding from justice, but also maintains ties with representatives of the occupation authorities, shares pro-Russian views and may commit new crimes.

In addition to this case, the former official is also accused of collaborating with the aggressor state - the materials have already been submitted to the court. According to journalists, this is Oleksandr Korzh, who was the head of the company at the time.

Kherson regional law enforcement also served a notice of suspicion to the director of an Odesa construction company, who is accused of embezzling more than UAH 28 million. In 2021, his company won a tender from the Department of Territorial Development of the Kherson Regional State Administration for the restoration of the Shovkunenko Regional Art Museum, but the official allegedly misappropriated part of the allocated funds.

Анна Бальчінос