An investigation into one of the largest scandals related to the embezzlement of budget funds is underway in Kyiv. The detention of Gennady Lepsky, Deputy Director of the Kyiv City State Administration's Department of Health, was only the beginning of a major criminal case involving high-ranking officials of the capital's government, as well as their accomplices in state authorities.
According to law enforcement officials, the key role in the scheme of embezzlement of budget funds was played by the deputy head of the Kyiv City State Administration, curator of the Department of Social and Veteran Policy, Marina Honda. It was she, according to investigators, who personally controlled the embezzlement of money allocated for medical care for seriously ill patients. The amount that became the subject of the crime is 149 million hryvnias, part of which was stolen.
The funds intended for palliative care for patients were allocated at the level of 55 thousand hryvnias per month for each patient. However, in reality, patients received only 5 thousand, and the rest of the money went to purchase luxury cars and real estate for officials. One of the cars, a Porsche Cayenne, which was formally registered for transporting seriously ill patients, was actually used by the defendants themselves. This car, along with other assets, became part of the illegal enrichment of high-ranking officials.
The perpetrators signed a contract worth 149 million hryvnias with a contracting company, but a third of this amount was stolen instead of being spent on purchasing medicines, medical care, and food for the sick. This had serious consequences for the medical care that was supposed to be provided to seriously ill people, and caused a wide public outcry.
At the moment, suspicions have been raised against four participants in the criminal scheme. These include the deputy director of the social policy department, Lyudmila Riyako, Halyna Dovhanchyn (who previously headed the department of state target programs and procurement at the Ministry of Health), as well as Gennady Lepsky. The latter, in addition to his participation in the embezzlement of funds, also appears in the scheme of purchasing fast cars at inflated prices.
In addition, it was established that one of the defendants in the case, the owner of a contracting company, unjustifiably received a group 2 disability, which allowed him to avoid mobilization, travel abroad, and receive pension payments from the budget.
All four suspects are currently under investigation and face up to 12 years in prison under serious articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, including embezzlement of budget funds and abuse of office.
The investigation is ongoing, and the results of this case will determine whether Ukrainians will be able to see real changes in medicine, where embezzlement has already become commonplace for some officials.
