The National Police of Ukraine launched two criminal proceedings against a citizen of Nazarii Gusakov, who found himself at the center of a high -profile scandal related to possible fraud in the field of charity. According to law enforcement officers, he could illegally collect significant amounts under the guise of assistance for the treatment of spinal muscle atrophy (SMA).
Information on urgent collection for the drug for the treatment of SMAs was actively spreading in social networks and media. The involvement of public figures - journalists, bloggers, leaders of thoughts - made a campaign particularly noticeable, which allowed to raise large amounts of money in a short time.
However, numerous reports of lack of reporting and real use of collected funds have recently appeared on social networks. People who had treated for treatment began to demand explanations and inspections by law enforcement agencies.
Police have opened two criminal proceedings on two serious articles:
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Part 4 of Art. 190 of the Criminal Code - fraud committed in particularly large size or organized group;
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Part 3 of Art. 209 of the Criminal Code - legalization (laundering) of proceeds from crime.
According to preliminary data, at least four financial platforms and digital payments were used in the scheme. Their details were actively published on social networks during the collection.
The key reason for suspicion was the failure to fulfill transparent reporting obligations, which are usually the standard in charitable initiatives, especially when it comes to medical fees. It is known that charitable activities associated with rare diseases, as SMA, often attracts increased attention, and therefore requires special trust by society.
In a situation with Husakov, this trust was obviously destroyed.
The investigation is ongoing, and the person may threaten up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property. At the time of publication, Gusakov publicly did not comment on the situation, and the pages where the collection was collected, partially deleted or closed.
This case has become another alarming signal about the vulnerability of the charity to manipulation - especially when the emotional component outweighs the verification of facts.
