Three cars seized from director of Pivdenoukrainsk utility company

A court has seized an apartment and three cars from the director of the Grail utility company in Pivdenoukrainsk. He is suspected of misappropriating funds during fictitious procurement for the city community.

This is evidenced by the ruling of the Pivdenoukrainskyi City Court of Mykolaiv Oblast.

According to investigators, the suspect held the position of acting director of the Grail utility from October 2021 to December 2023. He was responsible for all organizational and business processes of the enterprise. The criminal proceedings were opened on September 1, 2024, on the facts of misappropriation of property and forgery of documents.

According to the investigation, in September 2022, the manager decided to misappropriate the company's funds through a fictitious purchase of pipes for heating systems. He entered into an agreement with Stilet 1 LLC, a company under his control, and indicated on the documents that the pipes were allegedly delivered to the company's warehouse. In fact, the company did not receive the goods, and the money - more than UAH 733 thousand - was transferred to the account of a company run by his friend. The suspect could have used the money for personal enrichment.

On October 8, 2025, the suspect was served a notice of suspicion and detained the same day because there was a real threat that he might flee to avoid punishment.

To guarantee compensation for damages, the court seized his property: an apartment in which the suspect owns a share and three cars - a 2003 GAZ, a 2005 CHEVROLET and a 2012 GEELY FE-1. Now he cannot dispose of or sell them. The sanction of Article 191, paragraph 4, provides for imprisonment for up to eight years with confiscation of property, and the sanction of Article 366, paragraph 1, provides for a fine or restriction of liberty for up to three years.

The company was investigated in May 2025. During the investigation, law enforcement officers gained access to documents and seized several payment orders confirming the transfer of more than UAH 5 million to the company without proper grounds.

Анна Бальчінос