A high-profile case of abuse of the state program isRecovery in Izyum led to the dismissal of the head of the city's military administration Valery Marchenko. The Kharkiv Regional Military Administration (OVA) recommended his resignation, and the new candidacy has already been approved by the President's Office. This was announced by the head of Kharkiv OVA Oleg Synegubov at a press conference on December 26.
The reason for personnel changes was the revelations in the case of deputy Marchenko, who was accused of fraud with the state program "Recovery". The investigation established that the official, who was also a member of the Commission for consideration of issues of compensation for destroyed housing, developed a scheme for illegal appropriation of budget funds.
Using false documents, he organized a claim for compensation on behalf of the owner of one of the houses in Izyum. With the help of a fake expert, a false report on the inspection of the house was created, which made it possible to obtain two housing certificates for the total amount of 1.5 million hryvnias.
The certificates were used to purchase housing in Kramatorsk, but the real value of the real estate turned out to be three times lower than the amount of the certificates. The difference was converted into cash and used to purchase a 2017 Nissan car for the official's relative.
In addition to this episode, investigators discovered two more similar cases involving real estate in the city of Raisin and Kamyanka Even relatives of the official were involved in the criminal activity, in particular his wife's grandmother, who fictitiously sold her house for certificates.
The head of the Kharkiv OVA Oleg Synegubov emphasized the inadmissibility of such abuses:
"Abuses on the ground during martial law are a crime not only against the state, but also against all Ukrainians who trust these programs."
He noted that the replacement of the management of the Izyum MBA is only the first step in solving the situation. Organizational procedures for the appointment of a new chief are currently underway.
Marchenko's deputy was notified of suspicion on several counts, including taking possession of someone else's property by abuse of official position, attempt to commit this crime, and legalization of illegally obtained property. All crimes are classified as committed under martial law, which only increases responsibility.
The investigation is ongoing, and law enforcement officers promise to identify all those involved in the criminal scheme. This case became another reminder of the importance of strengthening control over the use of public funds, especially in times of war.
