Former head of Odesa Railways unit is suspected of corruption

The former head of one of the production units of the Ukrainian Railways has been notified of suspicion because of the salary payments to his relative. According to the investigation, the company lost more than half a million hryvnias due to fictitious employment.

This was reported by the press service of the National Police in Odesa region.

Law enforcement officers exposed the former head of the production unit of the Odesa Railways, who had been illegally paying his son's salary for several years. According to the investigation, the 59-year-old official from Podilsk hired his relative as an electrician, but he did not actually perform his duties and did not show up for work.

Nevertheless, from 2021 to 2025, the "ghost employee" was regularly paid a salary. Investigators of the Podil District Police Department, having gathered sufficient evidence, notified the suspect of suspicion. He was charged with embezzlement by abuse of office, as well as entering false information into official documents.

The suspect's actions are classified under Part 4 of Art. 191 and Part 1 of Art. 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. If found guilty, he faces up to eight years in prison with a ban on holding certain positions or engaging in certain activities for up to three years. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.

As Intent previously wrote, the unit's electrical engineer never actually showed up for work or performed his duties between 2021 and January 2025. Thus, over several years, more than UAH 504 thousand in salary and additional payments were illegally accrued in favor of the absent employee. These funds were found to have been paid at the expense of the enterprise, which caused material damage to the state-owned company.

In Mykolaiv, the head of a railroad car depot also ran a scheme with fictitious employment of his son to protect him from mobilization, and at the same time embezzled funds through"dead souls." The court approved the plea agreement and sentenced him to a term of imprisonment.

Анна Бальчінос