In Mykolaiv, a municipal enterprise director was barred from work due to corruption in procurement

Grigory Patoka, the head of a municipal enterprise in Mykolaiv, will not be able to return to work for another two months. He is suspected of embezzling public funds during the procurement of traffic lights.

This was reported by the Center for Public Investigations.

According to investigators, Patoka is suspected of misappropriating or embezzling another person’s property by abusing his official position. If found guilty, he faces up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.

The case involves the purchase of traffic lights worth 1.2 million hryvnias. The city signed a contract with the Kyiv-based company “Spetselektromontazh-7”; however, according to investigators, the company received the full amount even though it did not actually deliver the equipment.

Following this, law enforcement conducted searches at the municipal enterprise and at Hryhoriy Patoka’s residence, where they seized official documents, computer equipment, and cell phones.

The court had previously imposed a pretrial detention order on the official, with the alternative of posting bail in the amount of 1.3 million hryvnias. Patoka himself called the case fabricated and stated that he has no intention of hiding from the investigation or the court.

Patoka has headed the municipal specialized installation and maintenance enterprise since June 2022. Prior to that, he worked at city hall and served as an advisor to the mayor.

He is currently prohibited from leaving the Mykolaiv region and from communicating with witnesses. He is also required to report any change of residence or employment, surrender his foreign passports, and appear in court upon first request.

The first hearing on the merits of the case took place on July 10. During the hearing, Olga Lysenko , a representative of the legal department of the Mykolaiv City Council’s Housing and Utilities Department, filed a motion requesting thatthe City Council’s procedural status be changed from “victim” to “witness.” 

Анна Бальчінос