The President of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, Yaroslav Hadzalo, has been temporarily suspended from his position due to suspicions of fictitious employment of a driver.
This is reported by Kyiv24
The Court Suspended Hadzalo at the Request of the Prosecutor General’s Office
By a court decision made based on the request of the Prosecutor General’s Office, Yaroslav Hadzalo has temporarily lost his powers as president of NAAS. The investigation considers him a suspect in a criminal case regarding complicity in the embezzlement of budget funds, committed by a group of individuals in collusion. Hadzalo’s actions are classified under part 5 of article 27 and part 3 of article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Circumstances of the Criminal Case and Judicial Restrictions
The investigation established that the president of the academy facilitated the fictitious employment of his personal driver in formal positions at four state agricultural enterprises. In fact, this individual performed the duties of Hadzalo’s personal driver but received a salary from the state budget amounting to over 200 thousand hryvnias.
“As established during the investigation, the president of NAAS facilitated the fictitious employment of his personal driver in formal positions at four state agricultural enterprises under his control. In fact, he performed the duties of a personal driver, while receiving a total salary of over 200,000 UAH from the state budget,” the statement reads.
In addition to the suspension, the court partially supported the prosecutors’ request for preventive measures. Hadzalo has been subjected to obligations as stipulated by article 194 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. Meanwhile, the prosecution has filed an appeal demanding to strengthen the preventive measure, as there are risks of the suspect influencing the investigation.