Odesa regional council deputy concealed his daughter's expenses in his declaration

In his declaration, Serhiy Biba, a deputy of the Odesa Regional Council from the banned OPFL, concealed assets and failed to explain his daughter's expenses.

The discrepancies in Biba's declaration were discovered by the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption.

The NAPC found that in 2022, the MP declared false information worth UAH 1.8 million and also owned unreasonable assets worth UAH 2.8 million.

The main attention was drawn to the purchases made by the MP's daughter, who bought a new Volkswagen Touareg and two apartments in Odesa in a few years without having any official income. Her official earnings over 25 years amounted to 112 thousand hryvnias. Serhiy Bib himself stated that he did not know the origin of these funds, although he regularly helped his daughter financially.

The MP also did not indicate in his declaration the value of his vehicle fleet, which includes two Mitsubishi Pajeros, a Toyota Land Cruiser and a trailer. In addition, the difference between the declared savings and the real ones is 1.8 million hryvnias.

The agency also found discrepancies in the funds borrowed by the MP. He claims to have received a debt from the Vesta-Yug farm, but according to the documents, the loan amount is much smaller.

In addition, the NACP found that the MP did not indicate in his declaration his common-law wife Liudmyla Shchedrova, who was directly involved in his financial transactions.

If the violation is proven in court, Serhiy Biba faces a fine of UAH 51,000 to UAH 85,000, or 150 to 240 hours of community service, or up to two years in prison with a ban on holding certain positions for up to three years.

The rating of the Center for Public Investigations, whose journalists examined financial reports in Odesa, Mykolaiv and Kherson regions, included MPs, officials of various government departments and local authorities.

During a full audit of the declaration of Oleksandr Urbanskyi, Deputy Chairman of the Odesa Regional Council, for 2023, the NACP found inaccuracies totaling UAH 540 thousand.

In addition, the NACP found false information in the declaration of Yurii Shumakher, who is a beneficiary of the Rostdorstroy road company and a member of the Odesa City Council from the Trust the Deeds faction.

Ірина Глухова