Mykolaiv Director Suspected of ₴595K Embezzlement; Court Denies Seizure

The director of a company involved in a case of embezzlement from Mykolaiv's budget is suspected of collusion with an official of a local utility company. The court refused to seize his property, as confiscation is not provided for under the article under which he is charged.

On April 11, 2025, following a ruling by the Zhovtnevyi District Court of Mykolaiv Oblast, an investigator of the Main Department of the National Police filed a motion with the court to seize the property of the director of SEES. He is suspected of misappropriating more than half a million hryvnias of local budget funds in collusion with an official of the city's utility company.

The criminal proceedings were opened on January 4, 2024. It is a case of suspicion of embezzlement of budget funds by officials of the self-supporting construction mechanization unit together with representatives of a private company. The investigation believes that from April 2024 to February 2025, the director of SEES acted in collusion with the head of the development and logistics department of the SEES, and together they illegally seized city budget funds.

According to the case file, the scheme was implemented through the company by submitting false documents to Prozorro, which became the basis for the transfer of funds. It was this company that won the procurement of lighting equipment - the relevant tender was dated September 2024. The total amount of losses is estimated at UAH 595 thousand.

The company's director was served a notice of suspicion under Part 4 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - misappropriation of property by abuse of office, committed by prior conspiracy, on a large scale under martial law.

The investigators asked the court to seize the property belonging to the suspect to prevent its alienation and to ensure compensation for the damage caused. At the same time, the investigator asked not to notify the suspect of the motion's consideration.

However, the court denied the motion on the grounds that the arrest did not meet the purpose stated by the investigation. Even if the suspect is convicted, confiscation cannot be applied - this contradicts the provisions of Article 59 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The court concluded that the seizure of property was not justified and could not be imposed in this case.

Also in Mykolaiv region, the director of a municipal enterprise pleaded guilty to embezzlement of budget funds. He was sentenced to 1.5 years of probation and banned from holding public office. According to the investigation, in January 2022, he received copies of another person's documents and used them to enter into fictitious contracts to withdraw money from the company.

In early April, the NABU and the SAPO brought a case of embezzlement of more than $70 million at the Zorya-Mashproekt plant in Mykolaiv to court. According to the investigation, the plant's management created a scheme to misappropriate funds through fictitious agency agreements.

Анна Бальчінос