Odesa Officials Detained for Misappropriating 1 Million in COVID Funds

Law enforcement officers have detained a former official of the Odesa City Council and the director of a construction company on suspicion of misappropriation of budget funds and forgery.

According to the press service of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Odesa Oblast, according to the contract concluded between the city council and a private construction company in 2021, the latter was to carry out routine repairs to the premises for hospitalization of COVID-19 patients in one of the local clinical hospitals.

However, according to investigators, in the course of the work, the director of the contractor decided to misappropriate part of the budget funds. Without completing the repairs, he noted in the acceptance certificate that the scope and cost of the construction work was in line with the contract.

For his part, the head of a department of one of the city council's departments, who was responsible for monitoring the status of the work, failed to conduct a proper inspection of the scope and quality of the work and approved the acceptance certificates.

As a result, almost one million hryvnias more was unjustifiably transferred from the budget to the contractor's account, which was later confirmed by expert opinions.

Given the sufficient evidence collected by law enforcement, investigators served the 41-year-old contractor a notice of suspicion under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - in the misappropriation of another's property by abuse of office committed on a large scale, and under Part 1 of Article 366 of the same code - in the preparation, issuance by an official of knowingly false official documents, and entering knowingly false information into official documents. For these crimes, the man faces imprisonment for up to twelve years with disqualification to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to three years and confiscation of property. The court imposed on him a pre-trial restraint in the form of detention with the right to be released on bail in the amount of UAH 908.4 thousand.

The 37-year-old former city council official was served a notice of suspicion under Article 367(2) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine of official negligence, i.e. improper performance of official duties by an official due to negligence, which caused serious consequences to the public interest protected by law. This crime is punishable by imprisonment for up to five years with disqualification to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to three years and a fine of up to UAH 12,750 or without it. The issue of choosing a measure of restraint against the former official is currently being decided.

Кирило Бойко