In Lviv region, the head of the city council is suspected of fraud in the purchase of coal for schools worth UAH 2.3 million

Law enforcement officers in the Lviv region have exposed officials of one local council suspected of misusing public funds to purchase coal for educational institutions. According to the National Police, the council’s head, the acting head of one of the departments, and the supplier’s deputy head were involved in this scheme.

The investigation revealed that the officials ensured victory in the tender for the controlled structure. Even though the supplied coal did not meet the established quality standards, the officials signed all the necessary documents, as a result of which the contractor received about 2.3 million hryvnias of public funds.

In addition, it was established that the head of the city council set up a corrupt mechanism to award bonuses to her subordinates while receiving an illegal benefit.

As a result of the evidence collected, the investigative group raised suspicions against three individuals: the chairman of the council for receiving illegal benefits and abuse of power, the acting head of the department for abuse of office, and the deputy head of the enterprise for misappropriation of property through illegal actions.

During the searches, the operatives seized 637 thousand hryvnias in cash from the suspects, as well as foreign currency and documents. The total amount of funds seized exceeded 700 thousand hryvnias. The issue of choosing preventive measures for all those involved in the case is currently being resolved. The operation was carried out jointly by employees of the SBU and the police administration under the supervision of the prosecutor’s office.