A scheme involving electricity rates worth over ₴1.2 million was uncovered in Volyn
In Volyn, a former head of the housing and maintenance department has been notified of charges of official negligence, which, according to the investigation, resulted in losses to the state budget of over 1.2 million hryvnias due to manipulation of electricity rates.
This was reported by the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for the Defense Sector of the Western Region.
According to the investigation, in March 2021, the then-head of the housing and utilities department signed a contract with a company to supply over 4.5 million kWh of electricity with a total value of approximately 10 million UAH.
Subsequently, between August and November 2021, the official approved amendments to the contract and the signing of additional agreements with higher rates.
At the same time, investigators established that there were no reasonable and documented grounds for changing the market price.
The prosecutor’s office notes that the official failed to ensure proper oversight of electricity pricing, which allowed the supplier to unjustifiably raise prices beyond the limits established by law.
As a result, the state suffered losses of over 1.2 million hryvnias, which were overpaid during settlements between the housing maintenance department and the company.
The former military officer has been notified of suspicion under Part 3 of Article 425 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—negligent attitude toward military service. The penalty under this article provides for up to seven years of imprisonment.
The court imposed a personal recognizance bond as a pretrial measure on the suspect. The pretrial investigation is ongoing and is being conducted by the State Bureau of Investigations with operational support from law enforcement agencies.
Earlier, the Podil District Prosecutor’s Office in Kyiv notified the director and beneficiary of a private company—which was supposed to supply a batch of drones to a Ukrainian company to fulfill a government contract—of the charges in absentia. The entrepreneurs embezzled the funds and fled abroad.
In the Zhytomyr region, police determined that the head of a construction contractor had submitted false data regarding completed work. This allowed him to illegally appropriate over 9 million hryvnias in budget funds.
