Fontansky Village Council Elects New Secretary Amid Chairman's Legal Troubles

Deputies of the Fontansky village council, whose chairman is in a pre-trial detention center, gathered for an extraordinary session and made changes to the composition of the executive committee and one of the commissions.

According to Tetiana Shuiska, a member of the village council, at the last session, Andriy Serebriy was elected secretary of the village council, and he was included in the executive committee.

Instead, Andriy Serebriy was excluded from the Standing Committee on Human Rights, Legality, Deputy Activities, Ethics and Regulations. Instead, Maksym Matviychuk joined the commission.

On March 3, a court denied a motion by members of the Odesa Regional Council to release Natalia Krupytsia, head of the Fontansky village council, who is suspected of misappropriating budget funds, on bail. Natalia Krupytsia's bail was reduced from UAH 9 million to UAH 3.7 million, which she must pay to be released from the pre-trial detention center.

The court also rejected the appeal of Natalia Krupytsia 's defense lawyers against the decision to remove her from the position of the chairman.

The Kyiv District Court of Odesa temporarily removed Natalia Krupytsia from her post on February 11. A week earlier, she was detained. After that, the court ruled to arrest the chairman, giving her the opportunity to be released on bail in the amount of UAH 9 million 84 thousand.

On February 3, she was re-suspected in a case related to the coastal fortification in the village of Kryzhanivka. The investigation began in 2013, when she was the head of the Kryzhanivka village council.

The head of the village council was notified of suspicion under two articles: misappropriation of property by abuse of office (Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code) and forgery (Part 1 of Article 366 of the Criminal Code). She faces up to 12 years in prison with disqualification to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to three years and confiscation of property.

Кирило Бойко