A large-scale corruption scheme operating at the Kyivzelenbud construction company was exposed in Kyiv. As investigators found, the company's management systematically received "kickbacks" from contractors, forcing them to pay 15% of the contract amount for the opportunity to cooperate with the utility company.
The persons involved in the case were:
- Yuriy Bakhmat – General Director of Kyivzelenbud
- Oleksiy Lukash – First Deputy
- Deputy head of one of the departments
According to the investigation, the managers of Kyivzelenstroy negotiated with contractors who received state orders to perform work. In order to receive payment for their services, the entrepreneurs had to give part of the amount in the form of a bribe.
Those who refused to "cooperate" had no chance of concluding a contract and performing the work. As it turned out, no one was going to check the quality and volume of the work performed in the scheme, and the signing of the acts of work performed took place automatically after the "remuneration".
According to the prosecutor's office, in February 2025 alone, 10 facts of extortion of bribes and 5 cases of receiving "kickbacks" in the amount of over 3 million hryvnias were documented.
In total, in 2024, the corruption scheme was supposed to bring its participants at least 25 million hryvnias, but they did not have time to receive all these funds.
The court ruled to arrest the detainees with the right to post bail in the amount of 51.4 million hryvnias.
Meanwhile, the issue of choosing a preventive measure is still being decided for the three heads of contracting companies who participated in the scheme.
On March 6, the State Bureau of Investigation and the National Police conducted searches at the offices of Kyivzelenbud. The same day, the company's director Yuriy Bakhmat and his first deputy were detained, although this was officially confirmed only on March 10.
Bakhmat headed Kyivzelenbud in 2023 after his predecessor Oleksiy Korol transferred to another position. Before that, he worked in the Department of Environmental Protection of the Kyiv City State Administration.
Corruption in Kyivzelenbud not only harmed the capital's budget, but also caused problems for residents. For example, in the Shevchenkivskyi district, Kyiv residents were outraged that their backyard was turned into a park, spending 6 million hryvnias. The work was carried out in a hurry, and the quality left much to be desired.
Now the company's managers face not only criminal liability, but also questions from the community: how many more millions of budget funds were stolen under the guise of landscaping Kyiv?
