Million-dollar fraud scheme exposed in Mykolaiv

Mykolaiv is investigating a large-scale corruption scheme that could have resulted in millions of hryvnias disappearing from the city budget. The main suspect is an official of a utility company who, together with the director of a private company, pulled off a 'tender scam' and received a kickback of 650,000 hryvnias.

This is stated in the decision of the Vitovsky District Court. Investigators believe that the head of the power supply department of the Self-Supporting Construction Mechanization Section organized a scheme to purchase cabinets for controlling street lighting. For this purpose, he allegedly agreed with the director of SEES LLC, which became the fictitious winner of the Prozorro tender.

The utility company purchased 65 cabinets for almost UAH 5.4 million, while, according to the investigation, cheaper offers were rejected. After the transaction, the director of the company allegedly gave the official a kickback of 650 thousand hryvnias in two batches: in December 2024 and February 2025.

In addition, the businessman, according to the investigation, laundered almost UAH 1.9 million more, spending it on personal needs, currency exchange and other services. The official has already been notified of being suspected of misappropriation of property on a large scale. The court remanded him in custody until September 8, but gave him a chance to be released on bail - UAH 651,000.

The NABU uncovered a grain theft scheme worth UAH 12 million in Mykolaiv region. According to the NABU, the grain, which remained in storage as part of the state reserve, was sold under the guise of 'excess' without proper authorization. Part of the case is currently being heard in court, while the rest is at the pre-trial investigation stage.

Mykolaiv city council managed to earn 20 million from the sale of municipal real estate. At a session of the city council, it became known that 14 municipal property objects that were put up for auction for sale fetched almost 20 million, which is twice the starting price of the objects.

Катерина Глушко