Police uncover embezzlement by district council chairman in Kherson region

A court in Mykolaiv has allowed investigators from Kherson region to temporarily obtain documents from the district council. The investigation concerns alleged abuse of office by its chairman.

The Center for Public Investigations has previously mentioned this case, but in a different context.

According to the investigation, in 2022-2025, the head of the district council repeatedly traveled abroad during martial law and did not actually fulfill his official duties. Despite this, the official continued to receive a salary from the budget.

Investigators believe that such actions could have led to unjustified spending of budget funds and contain signs of embezzlement through abuse of office. In this regard, law enforcement officers filed a petition with the court for access to documents.

These are materials that confirm the powers of the chairman of the council and his official activities. In particular, the investigators asked for the council's decision on his election, regulations, job descriptions, all orders and instructions issued by the chairman over the past three years.

In addition, they are interested in internal documents related to the work of the board: orders on the exercise of powers, documents on remote work of employees, logs of registration of orders and internal acts, letters of approval and opinions of the legal and financial and accounting departments, reports on the implementation of orders, as well as regulations on structural units and job descriptions.

The investigator noted that access to these documents was necessary for a full and impartial investigation, as it was impossible to obtain the information in any other way. Therefore, law enforcement officers were allowed to familiarize themselves with the documents, make copies of them, and, if necessary, seize the originals.

If district council officials refuse to provide the documents, investigators will be able to apply for a search warrant to seize them.

The case file also mentions two charitable foundations - "Our Heroes" and "Adzhalyk".

In particular, in January of this year, a court in Mykolaiv ruled to take into custody the director of the Adzhalyk charitable foundation and former MP from Odesa region, Serhiy Kryvenko. He is suspected of organizing the illegal transportation of conscripts from Kherson region abroad.

According to the investigation, he registered conscripts as drivers of humanitarian aid, which allowed them to leave Ukraine and not return. He sent letters to the Kherson Regional Military Administration with lists of men who were allegedly involved in the delivery of humanitarian aid to the European Union countries of Poland, Austria, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.

On the basis of one of these letters, in May 2023, the head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration signed an order allowing certain persons liable for military service to temporarily travel abroad. At the same time, the investigation believes that the documents deliberately indicated a false purpose of the trip.

Some of the men left through the Mayaky-Udobne and Hrushev checkpoints, but did not return to Ukraine.

It turned out that in February 2025, Serhiy Kryvenko was put on the wanted list on suspicion of misappropriating charitable funds raised allegedly for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the investigation, he received more than UAH 5 million in donations over nine months, of which he embezzled more than UAH 3 million.

Previously, Kryvenko worked in law enforcement, was a deputy of the local council in Odesa region and headed a branch of the Party of Regions.

Анна Бальчінос