Suspicion of multimillion-dollar abuses in the fight against ambrosia in Kyiv
This is reported by Kyiv24
The former general director of the municipal association ‘Kyivzelenbud’, the chief agronomist, and the head of the contracting company have become subjects of a criminal investigation for embezzling nearly 4.9 million hryvnias allocated from the city budget for the eradication of ambrosia in the territory of Kyiv.
Scheme of embezzlement of budget funds
The investigation established that the management of ‘Kyivzelenbud’ conducted a tender for the procurement of services for the chemical eradication of quarantine weeds. Subsequently, according to law enforcement, the officials of the enterprise colluded with the director of the contracting organization to include false information in the acts of completed work. The documents indicated inflated areas that were allegedly treated for ambrosia. As a result, the contractor illegally received about 4.9 million hryvnias for work that was not actually performed.
“Prosecutors of the Desnyansky District Prosecutor’s Office of Kyiv have informed the former general director of the municipal enterprise ‘Kyivzelenbud’, the chief agronomist of the City Greenery Control Service, and the director of the contracting company of suspicion. They are suspected of embezzling nearly 4.9 million hryvnias allocated for the eradication of ambrosia in the capital,” the statement reads.
Legal qualification and further actions of the investigation
The actions of the suspects have been qualified under part 2 of article 28, part 2 of article 366, and part 5 of article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — official forgery and embezzlement of property committed by a group of persons in collusion. It is known that the former head of ‘Kyivzelenbud’ is currently in custody within the framework of another criminal proceeding, while the director of the contracting organization is hiding from the investigation and has been declared wanted.