Mykolaiv exposes embezzlement by utility companies through shell companies

In Mykolaiv, law enforcement officers are investigating a possible corruption scheme at Mykolaiv Parks, where officials are suspected of abuse of office and embezzlement of budget funds. Investigators believe that the company could have signed contracts with fictitious contractors at inflated prices.

This was reported by Nikcenter.

According to the investigation, the management ofMykolaivParks could have organized a scheme to conclude contracts with controlled companies at inflated prices, which led to losses to the local budget.

Information about the case became known from the ruling of the Vitovsky District Court. Among the contractors mentioned in the materials is the private enterprise Domstroy-Nik. During 2023-2024, the utility company entered into three agreements with it totaling almost UAH 9.8 million. In addition, the same company received more than UAH 23 million from other utilities and local governments in Mykolaiv.

However, the inspection showed that the company may have signs of fictitiousness. According to the investigation, the company does not have the necessary resources to perform large-scale work: no equipment, no employees and no material base. In addition, the company was not found at its official registration address.

According to the YouControl analytical system, the company was registered in 2019 with a registered capital of UAH 250 thousand. Its owner is listed as Hanna Moroz, who, as investigators found out, went abroad in the summer of 2022 and did not return to Ukraine. At the same time, the tender documents used contacts that did not belong to her, which may indicate that her role was nominal.

The investigation suggests that the company could have been used as a tool for the use of budget funds through the conclusion of contracts at inflated prices. The case file also mentions the possible existence of a wider scheme involving a number of companies with signs of fictitiousness, which created a controlled environment for withdrawing money from the budget.

As part of the investigation, in December 2025, the court seized the corporate rights of Domstroy-Nik, considering them potential material evidence. However, in January 2026, the seizure was canceled at the request of the prosecutor, as no one had been notified of suspicion at that time.

The criminal proceedings are being investigated under Part 2 of Art. 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - abuse of office that caused grave consequences. The investigation is ongoing.

Also, suspicions of embezzlement of budget funds in Mykolaiv led investigators to documents of a utility company where the figures do not match reality. This is a scheme where prices for goods were inflated "from the ceiling" to extract extra millions from the budget.

Анна Бальчінос