Suspicion for Zaporizhzhia Village Head over Firewood

Law enforcement officers reported the suspicion to the village head, secretary, and public procurement officer of one of the village councils in Zaporizhia region. According to the investigation, the suspects forged decisions allegedly from a village council session and concluded a contract for the supply of firewood at prices inflated by 1.4 million hryvnias.

This was reported today, June 10, by the press service of the Zaporizhia Regional Prosecutor's Office.

According to the investigation, the village head, in collusion with the secretary and the authorized person for public procurement, forged the decision of the village council session.

This allowed the village head to conclude an agreement with a private enterprise to purchase firewood for the local population of the frontline area, without using the public procurement system, avoiding competition and inflating the price of raw materials.

The purchase of wood was financed by a state subsidy, so the overestimation of the cost of firewood caused a loss to the state in the amount of 1.4 million hryvnias.

Law enforcement officers informed the defendants of suspicion of abuse of office and forgery of official documents (Part 3 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 364, Part 1 of Article 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

If found guilty, the suspects face up to six years in prison with confiscation of property. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.

We previously reported that the Supreme Court of Ukraine extended the duties of Deputy Shvydky.

We also wrote that the Supreme Court of Justice scheduled a hearing in Burhan's case for June 17.