In Mykolaiv Oblast, the village head’s property was seized due to corruption involving the water supply system

In the Mykolaiv region, law enforcement officials uncovered possible misconduct during the implementation of a grant project to build a water tower. Lyubov Badenko, chairwoman of the Yelanets Village Council, is under suspicion .

This was reported by Intent, citing a ruling by the Voznesensk City and District Court.

An investigation is underway in the Voznesensk District of Mykolaiv Oblast into possible abuses during the implementation of a project to install a water tower in the village of Olhopil. Lyubov Badenko, chairwoman of the Yelanets Village Council, was charged with abuse of office in May of this year. 

According to the investigation, the case concerns the procurement of work to install the Rozhnovsky water tower, which was financed by the local budget and a grant from the non-governmental organization “Southern Development Strategy.” The total cost of the project was 584,9 thousand hryvnias.

According to law enforcement officials, the official allegedly facilitated conditions to ensure that a specific contractor would win the procurement and subsequently sign the contract. Investigators also believe that the work performed did not meet building codes or the technical specifications. In particular, the actual volume of the water tower’s reservoir turned out to be smaller than specified in the documentation.

The case file states that the State Audit Service identified violations while monitoring the procurement and ordered the town council to terminate the contract. Despite this, according to the investigation, the funds were transferred to the contractor in full.

Law enforcement officials estimate the losses incurred by the community at 584,9 thousand hryvnias. The prosecutor’s office filed a civil claim for this exact amount on behalf of the Yelanets Village Council. To ensure potential compensation for the damages, the court placed a lien on a residential building owned by the suspect.

The court granted the prosecutor’s motion and prohibited the alienation or disposal of this property. The official had previously been suspended from her position. Under the applicable charge, she faces 3 to 6 years of imprisonment, along with a ban on holding certain positions for up to three years.

Additionally,Oleksandr Tsymakh, head of the Administrative Services Center department at the Sofiivka Village Council, who was responsible for procurement, organized a scheme to embezzle nearly 450,000 hryvnias allocated for the repair of the roof of the community’s administrative building. He subsequently fled abroad. 

Анна Бальчінос