Property of deputy park director seized in Mykolaiv region for corruption

The court seized the property of the deputy director of the Pryingulskyi Regional Landscape Park in Mykolaiv region. The investigation found that the officials, together with a private enterprise, deliberately overstated the cost of procurement for the arrangement of ecological trails.

This was reported by the Center for Public Investigations.

The court granted the request of the specialized environmental prosecutor's office to seize property seized during a search on January 26, 2026, at the deputy director's place of residence. Among the seized property was an iPhone 12 Pro mobile phone, which has now been officially recognized as material evidence in the criminal proceedings.

The investigation found that officials of the Ecology Department, together with the private company Expert Logistic, deliberately overestimated the expected cost of work in the Pryingulskyi and Tyligulskyi parks.

In total, they signed contracts worth more than UAH 1.2 million. As stated in the case, some works were performed partially, formally or poorly. This created conditions for the systematic misappropriation of public funds allocated for environmental protection measures.

Law enforcement officers conducted a search based on a court order, and the seized phone became key evidence containing information about the alleged crime. According to the investigators, the seizure of the property was necessary to preserve it and prevent the evidence from being hidden or destroyed.

The court emphasized that interference with the owner's rights at this stage of the investigation is justified, as the absence of an arrest could complicate the establishment of all the circumstances of the case and interfere with the pre-trial investigation and protection of the state's interests.

In January, a court temporarily suspended Oleh Nesterenko, head of the construction and repair department of the South Ukrainian City Council, from his position. He is suspected of embezzling budget funds during a project to install street lighting in the village of Buzke, Voznesensk district.

Анна Бальчінос