Head of Odesa KEU sent to pre-trial detention center: details of the case

The head of the Odesa Housing and Maintenance Department is in custody. He is suspected of negligent attitude to military service and causing damage to the state budget when purchasing military beds for the army.

This is evidenced by the decision of the Peresypskyi District Court of Odesa.

According to the State Bureau of Investigation, the colonel headed the Odesa Housing and Maintenance Department from November 28, 2022, to August 4, 2023. He was responsible for the maintenance and operation of military camps, providing military units with utilities and energy, organizing financing for housing and maintenance activities, and controlling the procurement of military property.

Procurement for the army

The investigation found that on January 19, 2023, the colonel signed a contract with Elkon-Design for the supply of 1,071 army bunk beds worth UAH 5.9 million. The state overpaid by more than UAH 2 million.

In March 2023, the colonel signed another contract with the same company for the supply of 2,130 army bunk beds and field folding beds worth almost UAH 30 million. The market value of the purchased beds was much lower, so the overpayment amounted to almost 9.3 million. In total, due to the colonel's negligence, the state suffered losses of more than UAH 17 million.

On January 22, 2026, officers of the State Bureau of Investigation detained the colonel and notified him of suspicion under Part 4 of Article 425 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - negligent attitude to military service, which caused grave consequences.

The court's decision

The prosecutor asked for a preventive measure in the form of detention with bail of almost UAH 36 million, emphasizing that the suspect could hide, commit another crime or obstruct the investigation.

The colonel and his defense lawyer objected, claiming that the risks had not been proven, and asked for a more lenient measure of restraint - house arrest or a lower bail amount. They also emphasized the positive characteristics of the suspect: participation in hostilities, registration in Odesa, and caring for his wife, who is disabled.

The court partially granted the motion: the colonel was left in custody at the brig of the Southern Territorial Department of the Military Intelligence of the Armed Forces of Ukraine until March 22, 2026. The bail was set at UAH 17 million 638 thousand, and the suspect will be released from custody after paying it. He will also be subject to statutory obligations to ensure his attendance at court hearings and cooperation with the investigation.

Past cases

According to the YouControl monitoring system, Leonid Penezhko is the head of the Housing and Maintenance Department of Odesa.

As for the company Elkon-Design, according to the system, it has been operating since 2002. The founders are the Elkon Public Organization for the Disabled and Pavlo Olin. The company has earned more than UAH 436 million in tenders.

In 2016, the company was the subject of an investigation by Intent. The journalists wrote that one of the Odesa-based furniture manufacturing companies can boast of unprecedented success, as it regularly wins large tenders for the supply of furniture to state and local authorities year after year.

The company is also involved in another criminal proceeding related to procurement for educational institutions in Odesa.

According to the investigation, in July 2018, the tender committee launched an open bidding procedure for the purchase of school furniture for educational institutions in the Kyiv district of Odesa. As a result of the bidding, an agreement was concluded with Elkon-Design at prices that exceeded the market average.

In addition, last December, in Odesa, a court found Andriy Muntyan, head of the contractual and claims department of the Odesa KEU of the Logistics Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, guilty. The official was convicted of extortion and receiving a bribe for facilitating the lease of military property.

Анна Бальчінос