Teacher from Mykolaiv region avoids trial for forgery in gas case

The Pervomaiskyi City District Court has closed part of the criminal proceedings against Viktoriya Chumak, head of the Department of Education, Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Myhiyivka Village Council. The official was accused of forgery in office during the purchase of natural gas for local educational institutions, but the court released her from liability for this episode.

This was reported by Anti-Corruption Dimension with a link to the verdict.

At the same time, the case is not over, as the trial under another article - on misappropriation or embezzlement of property through abuse of office - is ongoing.

According to the investigation, Viktoriia Chumak, who has been the head of the Education Department since January 2020, was involved in fraudulent purchases of gas for educational institutions. At the end of 2020, the department entered into an agreement with KASTUM LLC to supply fuel at a price of UAH 3.49 per cubic meter. However, within two weeks of January 2021, nine additional agreements were signed to the main agreement, each of which increased the cost of gas.

As a result, the price rose to UAH 8.16 per cubic meter, more than one and a half times the initial tariff. The reason for the price increase was the certificates of the Kharkiv Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which, as the court found, did not contain evidence of real market price fluctuations during this period.

The investigation insists that the official deliberately entered false information into the documents, as there were no objective reasons for revising the cost of fuel. The official's actions were classified as official forgery. During the court hearing, the defense filed a motion to release the accused from liability under this article due to the expiration of the statute of limitations, as the three-year period from the date of the offense expired in January 2024.

As the prosecutor and the victim did not object, the court granted the motion. Despite being released from liability for forgery, Victoria Chumak remains a defendant in the case of misappropriation and embezzlement of property through abuse of office, which is still pending.

Катерина Глушко