Former deputy mayor of Lviv arrested in Austria for embezzling donations

Austrian police have arrested Hennadiy Vaskiv, a former official of the Lviv City Council, who is accused of embezzling funds from the Estonian humanitarian organization Slava Ukraini. 

The arrest took place at the request of Interpol after the suspect arrived from the United States. This was reported by Ilmar Raag, a former board member of the Estonian NGO Slava Ukraini and its liquidator, and Zaxid.net.

The investigation concerns the disappearance of 1.5 million euros in donations, which were siphoned off from the charity’s assets through shell companies in 2023. In addition to embezzling humanitarian aid, Vaskiv is charged with money laundering and economic crimes. Currently, the Frankivsk District Court of Lviv is preparing an official request for the detainee’s extradition to Ukraine to conduct further investigative proceedings.

The scandal surrounding Slava Ukraini’s activities led to the resignation of the organization’s chair, Johanna-Maria Lehtme, and the dissolution of the board of directors after financial fraud was uncovered. All transactions by the suspect company IC Construction were directly linked to Estonian donations intended to support Ukrainians. Estonian and Ukrainian authorities continue to cooperate to fully establish the circumstances of the embezzlement of charitable funds.

Embezzlement during the restoration of the Florivsky Monastery: a former Kyiv City State Administration official has been placed under suspicion.

A Kyiv official was also exposed for failing to pay money to orphaned children.