Kherson Prosecutor's Office sues theater over festival funds

The prosecutor's office, through the court of Odesa, is demanding that the theater return the funds for the festival. The case concerns an agreement between the Department of Culture of the Kherson City Council and the Kherson Regional Academic Music and Drama Theater named after M. Kulish.

This is evidenced by the ruling of the Economic Court of Odesa Region.

The head of the Kherson District Prosecutor's Office filed a lawsuit in the interests of the state represented by the Kherson City Council and the Kherson MMA. The subject of the lawsuit was an agreement dated March 12, 2021, between the Department of Culture of the Kherson City Council and the Kherson Regional Academic Music and Drama Theater named after M. Kulish for the regional festival "Shrovetide Festival".

The prosecutor demands that the agreement be declared invalid and that the Department of Culture recover UAH 149,800 from the theater in favor of the theater, and the same amount from the Department to the state.

The claim was based on the decision of the Antimonopoly Committee of July 9, 2024, which established that the theater, together with Festival Center LLC, committed anticompetitive concerted actions during the open bidding. According to the AMCU, the bidders agreed with each other, distorting the results of the tender, which led the customer to choose the offer not based on genuine competition.

The law enforcement officer emphasized that such actions violate legitimate economic activity in the field of public procurement and harm the state and public interests. Therefore, in his opinion, there are legal grounds for invalidating the contract and returning the funds received.

Given the publication of the relevant ruling by the Supreme Court, on January 2, 2026, the Department of Culture of the Kherson City Council filed a motion with the Commercial Court of Odesa Region to reopen the proceedings. The court ruled to ensure the participation of a representative of the Kherson City Military Administration in the court hearing, via video conference.

Last year, the Antimonopoly Committee ordered the Department of Kherson Regional State Administration to review the terms of the tender for the reconstruction of an outpatient clinic in Vysokopillya. The inspection showed that the tender documents contained discriminatory requirements that narrowed the range of participants. The cost of the work exceeded UAH 135 million.

Анна Бальчінос