Theft of more than 37 million hryvnias is suspected at fortifications in the Sumy region
Under the procedural supervision of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Defense Affairs of the Western Region, four individuals were notified that they are suspected of embezzling more than 37.7 million hryvnias in budget funds that had been allocated for the construction of fortifications in the Sumy region.
According to the investigation, in 2024, a former official of the capital construction department of one of the regional state administrations—who was responsible for organizing and supervising construction work—conspired with a former technical supervision engineer, the director and beneficial owner of a contracting company.
The scheme was carried out during the construction of two strongpoints and three defensive zones.
Inflated costs for construction materials, labor, and delivery were entered into the documents detailing the completed work. Based on these documents, funds were transferred to the contractor from the state budget in amounts greater than what was actually spent on construction.
Subsequently, according to the investigation, the illegally obtained funds were converted into cash and distributed among the participants in the scheme as so-called “kickbacks.”
Five such incidents have been documented. The total amount of funds misappropriated by the suspects exceeds 37.7 million hryvnias. The extent of the losses incurred by the state has been confirmed by expert analyses.
Four participants in the scheme have been notified of their status as suspects under Part 5 of Article 27 and Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Preventive measures have been imposed on the suspects. The court set bail for each of them at 998,400 hryvnias. The prosecutor’s office considers the bail amount insufficient and is asking the Lviv Court of Appeals to overturn the trial court’s decision and increase the bail amount.
This was reported by the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Defense Affairs of the Western Region.
In the Mykolaiv region, the embezzlement of 68 million hryvnias from the protection of an energy facility was uncovered.
As a reminder, the Security Service of Ukraine uncovered a scheme involving the embezzlement of over 10 million hryvnias in state funds allocated for the repair of the Trypillya and Zmiiv thermal power plants. According to the investigation, an official from PJSC “Centrenergo” and two owners of supplier companies were involved in the scheme.
