Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
Three deputy mayors of Odesa suspected of participating in a criminal organization
The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office charged three more participants in Kaufman-Granovskyi’s criminal organization in Odesa. According to NABU, these are deputies of Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov.
Charges under (part 3 of art. 255, part 3 of art. 368 of the Criminal Code were notified to first deputy Mykhailo Kuchuk; the head of the executive committee apparatus Oleh Bryndak; and deputy for finance Svitlana Bedreza.
As for Kuchuk, since the whereabouts of the first deputy mayor of Odesa are currently unknown, he was notified of the suspicion in absentia (pursuant to art. 135, art. 278 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine).
The investigation established that in the fall of 2021, after NABU and the SAP exposed a criminal organization that specialized in corrupt schemes for the illegal disposal of property from Odesa’s municipal ownership, a new one emerged in its place. This new group took control of virtually all matters of the city’s economic life, including dealings with developers, purchases funded by the local budget, the activities of municipal enterprises, and other aspects of interaction with business.
According to the investigation, Bryndak and a member of the land commission received from the organizers monthly 15 thousand dollars and other funds for actions committed by abusing official position and power. For example, securing the land commission’s adoption of decisions to allocate land for construction to preselected persons, as well as making amendments to the city budget. Overall, from November 2021 to August 2022 the suspect received more than 2,4 million hryvnias.
Kuchuk and Bedreza — according to the investigation — received from the organizers from March to July 2022 year amounts of 900 and 300 thousand hryvnias, respectively. The first deputy mayor of Odesa, in particular, controlled the activities of subordinate departments that are the main managers of funds and gave their heads instructions to suspend payments for road repairs in the city. This created artificial conditions for the criminal organization to obtain illicit benefits from the contractor for the restoration of payments. The suspect also voted in favor within the executive committee on decisions that set fees for the handling of solid household waste in Odesa and on budget amendments that aligned with the interests of the criminal organization.
So far, 6 persons have been notified of suspicion of participation in the criminal organization.
The investigation is identifying other participants of the criminal organization and is seeking evidence of their corrupt activities.
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