Mykolaiv Court Upholds Property Seizure in Embezzlement Case

In Mykolaiv region, a court refused to cancel the seizure of property in a case of embezzlement of budget funds. The case concerned the payment of salaries to an employee of a utility company who did not work there.

This is evidenced by the ruling of the Novodesskyi District Court of Mykolaiv Oblast.

The investigating judge dismissed the motion of the head of the Voznesensk Sanitary Cleaning Utility Company to cancel the seizure of property imposed in the framework of criminal proceedings regarding the alleged misappropriation of budget funds.

It is a mobile phone iPhone 14 Pro and a computer system unit that were seized during a search in the summer of 2024. According to the investigation, these devices contain information that may be evidence in the case of paying salaries to an employee who has never worked for a utility company.

The court found that the seized devices contained data on financial transactions, correspondence between the suspect and another person involved in the investigation, and military registration information. Although the examinations have already been conducted, the prosecutor's office insists that additional investigations may be necessary.

In view of this, the court decided to uphold the seizure of the property, as the pre-trial investigation is ongoing and lifting the restrictions could complicate the investigation. The court ruling is final and cannot be appealed.

Also in Mykolaiv region, an official is suspected of embezzling budget funds allocated for the repair of a shelter at a lyceum. The official entered false information in the certificates of completion, overstating the volume and cost of construction materials. As a result, the budget suffered losses of over UAH 73 thousand. The court imposed on him a measure of restraint in the form of house arrest.

In addition, the chief of staff of one of the military units was suspected of unreasonably charging additional payments to military personnel who did not participate in hostilities. The state suffered losses of more than UAH 4.3 million.

In Ukraine, the number of fraud cases decreased in 2024. In total, more than 60,000 criminal proceedings were opened, but only one in four cases goes to trial. Some of them involve officials.

Анна Бальчінос