Former head of village council in Odesa region put on the wanted list in embezzlement case

The former head of the Kubey village council, Petro Kissa , was put on the wanted list. He was previously convicted in a case of embezzlement of budget funds.

This is evidenced by the decision of the Odesa Court of Appeal.

The judge put on the international wanted list the former head of the Kubey village council of the Bolhrad district, who is accused of embezzling funds intended for major road repairs. The court also authorized his detention and chose a measure of restraint in the form of detention without bail.

As stated in the ruling, the Bolhrad District Court had previously found the official guilty and sentenced him to two years of probation. At the same time, the prosecutor's office and the representative of the injured party filed appeals, demanding a harsher sentence of up to five years in prison. The defendant himself asked the court to overturn the verdict and acquit him.

The court found that the man had repeatedly ignored summonses to hearings. According to the investigation, in May 2025, he left Ukraine through the Tabaki checkpoint and has not returned since. Because of this, the Court of Appeal had previously put him on the international wanted list and suspended the proceedings.

The panel of judges concluded that the defendant could hide from the court and influence the course of the criminal proceedings. As a result, the court granted the prosecutor's motion, re-announced the official on the international wanted list, and ordered him to be brought to court after his arrest.

In May 2025, the Odesa District Administrative Court took control of the execution of its decision in the case of Petro Kyssa 's lawsuit against the Kubey village council. In August 2022, the Odesa District Administrative Court partially satisfied his claim for the recognition of decisions as unlawful and their cancellation, reinstatement in office, and recovery of average earnings.

In December 2022, he was reinstated as the head of the Kubey community in accordance with the court's decision, but on November 29, 2022, a session was convened where the council again expressed no confidence in him by an absolute majority.

In January 2023, the Bolgrad District Court sentenced the head of the Kubey village community, Kissa, to two years' suspended imprisonment .

Анна Бальчінос