Law enforcement officers have uncovered a large-scale corruption scheme in the municipal association "Kyivzelenbud". General Director Yuriy Bakhmat and his first deputy Oleksiy Lukash organized a system of extortion, forcing contractors to pay "kickbacks" of 15% of the contract amount.
How the scheme works
According to the State Bureau of Investigation and the National Police, the heads of the enterprise, together with the deputy head of the municipal enterprise department, systematically received illegal benefits from companies that performed work under contracts with Kyivzelenbud.
Contractors were required to hand over 15% of the funds received as a "thank you" for signing the certificates of work performed. At the same time, no one actually checked the volume and quality of the tasks performed.
Amounts and scale of transactions
In February 2025 alone, law enforcement officers documented five months of bribery totaling over 3 million hryvnias. According to preliminary estimates, in 2024, the organizers of the scheme planned to receive at least 25 million hryvnias in illicit profits.
In total, law enforcement officers have identified more than 10 episodes of bribery, and the total documented amount of illegal payments reaches 20 million hryvnias.
Organized system of bribery
The investigation established that the scheme covered all contractors of Kyivzelenstroy and operated with the tacit consent of the city authorities. All participants in the scheme acted according to a clear plan, distributing roles and controlling financial flows.
Legal consequences
To date, members of the criminal organization are being informed of their convictions under the following articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
- Part 2, 3 of Article 255 (creation and participation in a criminal organization);
- Parts 3, 4 of Article 368 (obtaining unlawful benefit by an official).
The investigation is ongoing, and law enforcement is identifying other possible participants in the scheme.
