In Chernivtsi, two officials of municipal enterprises subordinate to the city council have been suspected of a conflict of interest. These are the director of the Ivan Mykolaychuk Cultural and Art Center, Ivan Butniak, and the head of the Municipal Center for the Development of the Environment and the Environment Volodymyr Ursulyan. Both enterprises are subordinate to the Chernivtsi City Council, which is headed by the city mayor, Roman Klichuk.
As StopKor previously reported, law enforcement officers and public sector analysts are considering possible corruption risks and abuse of office by these officials. In August 2022, Ivan Butnyak left the position of director of the Cultural and Art Center, but questions regarding the activities of the management of municipal enterprises remained open.
Against the backdrop of these suspicions, the StopCor analytical center decided to analyze in more detail the lifestyle, financial status, and business connections of the mayor of Chernivtsi, Roman Klichuk. According to the declarations, after being elected to the position, the mayor declared significant savings in cash and currency, a large amount of real estate, as well as corporate rights, remaining the ultimate beneficiary of certain companies.
According to official data, in 2024, Roman Klichuk declared UAH 688,000 in salary income, which is UAH 89,000 more than a year earlier. At the same time, the declaration indicated more than UAH 6 million in cash, EUR 209,000, and USD 177,000, which are stored outside bank accounts. For comparison, in 2023, the family's cash savings amounted to about UAH 7 million. The mayor's bank accounts decreased from UAH 2.5 million to UAH 2.1 million over the year, and he lent more than half a million hryvnia to an individual.
Roman Klichuk and his wife Larysa own a residential building in Chernivtsi with an area of over 500 square meters and a land plot of over 600 square meters, purchased back in 2012. The family also owns real estate in Chernivtsi and Ivano-Frankivsk regions, in particular, objects related to the business activities of companies belonging to the Goira group.
Among the movable property listed in the mayor's declaration is an IWC Schaffhausen watch worth over UAH 300,000, purchased during his term, as well as a Mercedes-Benz S 350 and a Land Rover Velar. The latter is formally owned by ROMA LLC, but is used by the mayor's wife.
Despite his transition to public service, Roman Klichuk remains the ultimate beneficiary of a number of companies, including Goira Group. His wife, Larysa Klichuk, continues to manage ROMA LLC, which distributes alcoholic beverages and, according to open sources, financed the mayor's 2020 election campaign. In 2024, she received UAH 180,000 in income from the company and over UAH 580,000 in salary at the city hospital, where she works as a doctor.
Roman Klichuk's name also appears in court decisions from the period of his business activities. In particular, in 2015, the court found him guilty of violating the tax accounting procedure, and in 2016, a violation of labor legislation was recorded in the activities of LLC "ROMA". In both cases, administrative liability was involved.
The city authorities' activities in the field of infrastructure projects attract special attention from public organizations and the media. In particular, the major renovation of Holovna Street worth up to UAH 200 million was accompanied by complaints about the tender conditions, as well as the conflict situation surrounding the renovation of the square in Sadhora.
Against the backdrop of suspicions regarding municipal officials, the mayor's significant wealth, and the family's active involvement in business, experts and public activists are increasingly speaking out about possible risks of conflict of interest in the leadership of Chernivtsi.
