Two Lviv district heads suspected of embezzlement, Sadovyi denies city hall searches
Two heads of Lviv district administrations were informed of suspicion (Photo: Prosecutor General's Office)
Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi denied reports that Ukraine’s Security Service is searching city council offices on July 25.
“There are no searches in the city council,” the Lviv mayor’s office said in a statement posted to Telegram, denying earlier reports of a law enforcement raid.
Meanwhile, the Prosecutor General’s Office announced that two heads of district administrations in Lviv had been formally notified of suspicion in a criminal case involving the embezzlement of 1.7 million hryvnias (about $41,500) in public funds during recovery efforts after a missile strike on the city.
The acting head of the Frankivsk District Administration and the head of the Galician District Administration face suspicion of abuse of office resulting in grave consequences, under Parts 1 and 2 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
According to investigators, the officials unjustifiably approved design and estimate documents submitted by the director of a municipal enterprise under the Lviv City Council. The enterprise had conducted emergency restoration work on residential buildings on Stryiska Street following the Russian missile strike on Lviv in July 2023.
The Prosecutor General’s Office said the contractor had artificially inflated the cost of window units and other building materials used in the repair of roofs, load-bearing walls, and window installations in the damaged buildings.
As a result, the officials are accused of misappropriating more than 1.7 million hryvnias from the local budget, which had been allocated for recovery after the attack.
Prosecutors also notified the director of the municipal enterprise of suspicion for large-scale misappropriation of property through abuse of office, under Part 4 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code.
Earlier, sources in Ukraine’s law enforcement community told NV that the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) was conducting searches in Lviv City Council buildings as part of the investigation into the embezzlement of budget funds.
According to those sources, individuals suspected in the case include: Oleh Polishchuk, director of the municipal company LKP Rembud; Oksana Strumelyak, former acting head of the Frankivsk District Administration; and Halyna Hladik, head of the Galician District Administration.
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