Head of Mykolaiv utility company accused of misappropriation of funds

In Mykolaiv, law enforcement officers served a notice of suspicion of misappropriation of budget funds to the head of one of the city's municipal enterprises. He currently faces up to 12 years in prison.

This was reported by the press service of the Mykolaiv Regional Prosecutor's Office.

The man in question is Hryhoriy Patoka, head of the Mykolaiv Specialized Installation and Maintenance Enterprise (KSMEP). The company is engaged in organizing road safety in the city. According to the investigation, the official, abusing his official position, was aware of the failure to deliver traffic lights under the contract, but approved and made full payment for them. As a result, the budget of Mykolaiv suffered losses of over UAH 1.2 million. The contract involved the purchase of 68 traffic and pedestrian traffic lights.

During the searches at the company and at Hryhoriy Patoka 's residence, law enforcement officers seized official documents, computer equipment and mobile phones.

The official is charged with embezzlement of other people's property through abuse of office, committed on a particularly large scale under martial law - under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The issue of choosing a measure of restraint is currently being decided. If found guilty, the official faces up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.

According to media reports, he has many years of experience in law enforcement and was a police colonel. He joined the team of the mayor of Mykolaiv in 2018, after which he held a number of senior positions in the city government.

Patoka began his work at the mayor's office in the capital construction department, where he later became the head. In 2021, he worked as an advisor to the mayor, and in June 2022, he became the head of the utility company SMEP.

According to the Prozorro procurement system, a contract worth more than UAH 1.2 million was signed with the Kyiv-based company Spetselektromontazh-7. The company was registered in April 2022, and its director is Vladyslav Simonov. It was to this company that the city transferred the full amount of money for the equipment that was never actually delivered.

KSMEP is subordinated to the Department of Housing and Communal Services of Mykolaiv City Council. This department is already involved in other criminal proceedings.

In particular, it is the case of the Self-Supporting Construction Mechanization Section, whose head is suspected of organizing a corruption scheme during the purchase of LED lamps and materials for repairing power grids.

On April 9, 2025, an employee of the company , Serhii Be zdolnyi, the brother of Dmytro Bezdolnyi, Director of the Housing and Utilities Department of the Mykolaiv City Council, and an entrepreneur from Lviv region, Vasyl Protsyshyn, were served with a notice of suspicion. According to the investigation, during the purchase of 65 street lighting control cabinets worth more than UAH 5.3 million, they organized a scheme to embezzle budget funds.

According to law enforcement estimates, the city lost almost UAH 600 thousand due to the so-called "kickbacks" in the amount of 13% of the amount excluding VAT. Serhiy Bezdolnyi is charged under Part 4 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which provides for up to eight years in prison.

Анна Бальчінос