The National Police have exposed Odessa utility workers for embezzling 15 million hryvnias
Law enforcement officials in Odesa have uncovered a large-scale corruption scheme organized by the management of a local utility company to embezzle public funds and illegally exempt individuals from mobilization.
This was reported by the National Police of Ukraine.
The perpetrators fictitiously employed dozens of people, embezzling their salaries and granting them status as exempt from conscription during martial law.
The investigation established that officials had added about 90 “ghost employees” to the payroll for positions such as painters, janitors, electricians, and mechanics.
These people never actually performed any work, yet state payments were regularly deposited into their accounts. The total amount of losses incurred by the city budget amounts to nearly 15 million hryvnias.
To conceal their criminal activities, the suspects staged elaborate performances during visits by regulatory authorities. They forced front men to wear uniforms and mimic intense work activity at the sites.
In this way, the conspirators created the appearance of genuine staff activity to fit the image of ordinary workers.
In addition to directly embezzling funds, the utility workers turned the enterprise into a “safe haven” for draft dodgers.
Conscripts who agreed to the scheme’s terms received official deferments, which prevented their mobilization into the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This allowed men of draft age to legally avoid being sent to the front.
As part of the investigation, police conducted over 60 authorized searches of the suspects’ offices and residences. During the investigative actions, documentation, bank cards, and other evidence of systematic abuses were seized.
The scale of the operation indicates the extent of the network and the involvement of numerous high-ranking officials.
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