An Odessa official will stand trial for embezzlement in connection with the renovation of a damaged building

Professional negligence on the part of the deputy head of one of the divisions within the Department of Municipal Services led to the loss of over 420,000 hryvnias from the community budget.

 This was reported by the National Police of Ukraine, noting that the investigation was conducted jointly with SBU officers.

The investigation established that in 2024, the official organized the procurement of major repair work on a high-rise building in the Peresypsky district that had been damaged by shelling. The total value of the contract with a private company amounted to over 2.5 million hryvnias. The main reason for the violation was that the woman included value-added tax (VAT) in the cost of the work, despite current legislation.

Under martial law regulations, such work is exempt from VAT; however, the official did not exclude this tax from the total amount. As a result, the construction company unjustifiably received an extra 420,000 hryvnias in state funds. The woman has now been notified of suspicion of official negligence, and the court is deciding on a preventive measure for her.

This incident underscores the importance of rigorous oversight over the use of funds allocated for the restoration of the housing stock. Law enforcement agencies continue to investigate the department’s activities for other potential financial violations during public procurement. The situation is under special scrutiny due to the public significance of restoring property destroyed by the enemy.

Earlier in Kyiv, an indictment was filed against the head of the municipal enterprise “Desnianskyi District Road Maintenance Department,” who is suspected of embezzling over half a million hryvnias in budget funds during the procurement of asphalt.

As a reminder, employees of Kyivzelenbud embezzled nearly 5 million hryvnias while fighting ragweed.

Additionally, 750,000 hryvnias were embezzled during the renovation of a sports school in Kyiv.