In Gostomel, funds for reconstruction of housing destroyed by Russians were stolen
7 November 10:02
A large-scale scheme to embezzle funds allocated for the restoration of housing destroyed during Russian aggression was exposed in Gostomel, Kyiv region. The suspects in the financial fraud are former officials of the Gostomel settlement military-civilian administration, including the former deputy head, the former head of one of the departments and three of her subordinates. This was reported by the press service of the National Police of Ukraine, according to Komersant ukrainskyi
According to the investigation, the group organized illegal transactions by entering into fictitious contracts with a contractor to restore damaged buildings. Despite the repair work stipulated in the contracts, homeowners were forced to complete the repairs themselves at their own expense. The suspects seized at least UAH 600 thousand under individual contracts alone.
Investigators believe that the organizer of the scheme was the head of one of the administration departments, who involved senior managers and employees in her business. Each member of the criminal group had a role: from coordination, searching for destroyed facilities to preparing documentation and forming agreements with contractors.
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The scheme was implemented by signing direct contracts with a fictitious company that was allegedly engaged in repair and construction. The cost of individual contracts ranged from UAH 100,000 to UAH 500,000, and the total amount of funds transferred amounted to more than UAH 6 million. The contractor was supposed to replace roofs, windows, and facades, but these works were carried out only “on paper”.
For example, in a contract worth more than UAH 200 thousand, no repair work was performed at all. The funds were cashed out and distributed among the scheme participants. In another contract with an estimated value of UAH 540 thousand, losses amounted to UAH 102 thousand.
So far, the examination has confirmed losses of UAH 650 thousand under six contracts concluded from February to May 2023. Investigators are checking the involvement of officials in more than 40 similar cases, and the amount of losses, according to preliminary estimates, may reach tens of millions of hryvnias.
During the searches in Kyiv and the region, police seized about $150,000, official documents, seals, computer equipment, cars, and “draft” records. Based on the evidence collected, the former deputy head of the administration, the head of the department and three employees were notified of suspicion under Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. They face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.
