Odesa businessmen charged with corruption
Odesa region: criminal scheme uncovered (Photo:NABU / Facebook)
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) have charged Odesa businessman Borys Kaufman and former MP Oleksandr Granovsky with corruption, SAP said in a Telegram post on Dec. 6.
According to the message, law enforcement believes Kaufman and Granovsky co-founded a criminal organization that exerted unlawful control over Odesa City Council, municipal budget expenditures and utility companies, and “committed other corruption crimes”.
The suspects could face up to 12 years in prison; the courts will soon decide on pre-trial detention conditions for Kaufman and Granovsky.
According to the investigation, since the fall of 2021, the criminal organization managed Odesa budget finances, controlled city construction projects, the work of municipal enterprises, and partnerships with private companies. Its members allegedly bribed city officials and council members to obtain favorable deals.
“In fact, the criminal organization controlled all significant budget expenditures of Odesa and determined the agenda of Odesa City Council sessions,” the SAP said.
NABU officers raided Odesa City Hall and seized documents from its legal and financial departments, as well as from the offices of Odesa Mayor Gennady Trukhanov and his deputies, local newspaper Dumska reported on Dec. 5.
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