Ukrzaliznytsia officials exposed for embezzling over 22 million UAH through illegal surcharges

Law enforcement officers have exposed the director of a branch of one of the enterprises of JSC "Ukrzaliznytsia," two of his deputies and the chief accountant, who organized a mechanism for illegally accruing additional payments to employees of the apparatus, the National Police of Ukraine reported.

"Four officials entered into a conspiracy and in the spring of 2022 established a scheme to embezzle public funds. Contrary to the decision of JSC "Ukrzaliznytsia" to restrict the accrual of bonuses, one-time incentives and other additional payments to employees who are not involved in specific work during the period of the legal regime of martial law in Ukraine, the accomplices illegally accrued additional payments to the basic salary of employees," the report on the department's website said on Wednesday.

Over more than two years, they issued more than UAH 22 million of such "additional payments," part of which the recipients returned to the perpetrators.

During the searches, accounting documents, computer equipment and money were seized. The property of the director and chief accountant (real estate, vehicles, land) has been seized.

The organizer and participants of the criminal are charged with embezzlement of funds in especially large amounts, committed by an organized group, and official forgery of documents (parts 2, 3, 5 of Article 27, part 5 of Article 191, part 1 of Article 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The sanction of the articles provides for a penalty of up to 12 years of imprisonment with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a term of up to three years and confiscation of property.

The court applied preventive measures in the form of detention to the director and his deputies with the right to post bail, which the suspects posted. The issue of a preventive measure for the last defendant is being resolved.