Fraudulent Scheme Uncovered in Odessa
Police detectives have exposed a fraud scheme involving the misappropriation of funds allocated for tombstones for fallen soldiers in Odessa. This operation included leaders of contracting organizations and officials from the Odessa City Department and municipal enterprises. By manipulating the compensation process for their benefit, they executed work at prices over 50% higher than actual costs.
Currently, 88 episodes of criminal activity have been documented, leading to a loss of over 2 million hryvnias to the state budget.
Law enforcement has identified all participants in the scheme, including the organizer. During searches at their workplaces and residences, documents and mobile phones confirming the crimes were seized, along with nearly two million hryvnias in both national and foreign currencies.
Five individuals — the organizer, a former department official, the deputy head of the municipal enterprise, and representatives of contractors — have been charged with misappropriating property by abusing their official position, committed by an organized group under martial law (Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). They face up to twelve years in prison with asset confiscation.
The investigation is ongoing. A decision is being made regarding the selection of a preventive measure for the suspects in the form of detention.
The pre-trial investigation is being carried out by investigators of the Main Investigation Department under the operational support of the Security Service of Ukraine in the Odessa region, supervised by the Office of the Prosecutor General.
