Chernivtsi Officials Embezzled UAH 3.3M on Airport Runway

In Chernivtsi, law enforcement officers exposed the former director of the housing and communal services department of the Chernivtsi City Council for embezzling money during the repair of the runway of the municipal enterprise "Chernivtsi International Airport". The former head of the technical supervision department is also involved in the scheme. Both officials have been suspected.

Law enforcement officers found out that in 2019, the Housing and Utilities Department of the Chernivtsi City Council ordered a major overhaul of the runway of the local airport. The repair work was carried out, however, as it later turned out, it was of poor quality and had significant shortcomings. During the investigation, BES detectives discovered that officials of the Chernivtsi City Council were involved in the fraud.

They signed the acceptance certificates of the completed work by the contractor, knowing for sure that the facility was handed over with defects that were hidden in the report. Because of this, more than 3.3 million UAH was transferred from the budget on formal grounds.

Law enforcement officers have declared suspicion against the former head of the housing and communal services department of the Chernivtsi City Council and the former head of the department of technical supervision of capital construction. They are suspected of part 5 of article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (embezzlement of budget funds on an especially large scale). The former officials face up to 12 years in prison.

Earlier, a deputy of the Obukhiv City Council was declared suspicious.

We also reported that the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court remanded in custody the former head of the Khmelnytskyi MSEC, a deputy of the Khmelnytskyi Regional Council, Tetyana Krupa.