The rector of a Kherson university avoided a prison sentence for embezzling half a million

The Kherson City Court approved a plea agreement with the former head of the Kherson State Maritime Academy, who in March 2026 entered into 21 fictitious contracts for the supply of food to students totaling nearly half a million hryvnias. The official received a three-year probationary sentence instead of five years of actual imprisonment.

This is stated in the judgment of the Kherson City Court. 

Aware that Russian troops had captured the city and that the academy had switched to remote learning, the convicted man transferred 486,832 hryvnias to a local businessman. The money was allegedly transferred to provide for 37 students. At that time, the academy already had food reserves worth over 1.5 million hryvnias, and the goods ordered under the new contracts never actually arrived at the institution.

During the trial, the defendant sincerely repented, admitted his guilt, and fully compensated for the damages caused. A representative of the maritime academy agreed to a plea deal with the prosecution.

Earlier in the Kherson region, a construction company lost access to its accounts. The company’s director is suspected of embezzling public funds during the renovation of the Vysokopil Local History Museum. 

In December 2023,the museumentered into a contract with the company for routine repairs to the premises at 53A Vyzvolyteliv Street. The cost of the work amounted to approximately 1.8 million hryvnias. According to the case file, the company’s director submitted a certificate of completion containing false information regarding the scope of work, materials used, and cost.

A court-ordered construction and technical examination revealed discrepancies between the work actually performed and the data in the report. The total amount of the discrepancy was over 408,000 hryvnias, including over 68,000 hryvnias in VAT.

Based on this report, funds were transferred to thecompany’saccount in December 2023. Investigators believe that this is the exact amount of financial damage caused to the museum.

Юлія Калабайда