Under the procedural guidance of the Prosecutor General's Office, law enforcement officers informed the incumbent deputy of the Zhytomyr Regional Council of suspicion of fraud and forgery of documents (Part 5 of Article 190, Part 1 of Article 358 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). His devices caused losses to state energy companies in the amount of 3.4 million hryvnias, the "Law and Business" publication reports.
According to our sources, we learned that the case concerns Volodymyr Kropyvnytskyi, a deputy of the Zhytomyr Regional Council from the "Strength and Honor" party.
Fraud scheme
According to the investigation, in 2021 the deputy built and put into operation a shopping center in Zhytomyr with an area of 2,100 m². In an effort to reduce electricity costs, he implemented a scheme for obtaining electricity at preferential rates.
For this, the suspect concluded a contract for the supply of electricity with JSC "Zhytomyroblenergo" using forged documents. They fictitiously confirmed that there is a residential building at the address of the shopping center, which made it possible to receive electricity at a household tariff - 2.5 times cheaper than a commercial one.
Deception of entrepreneurs
The deputy leased the premises of the shopping center to entrepreneurs, at the same time receiving compensation for electricity from them at the full commercial rate. Thus, he made illegal profits, while the losses fell on the state-owned energy companies.
As a result of the deputy's illegal actions, the state energy companies lost UAH 3.4 million. Currently, the law enforcement officers are continuing the pre-trial investigation, and the suspect is facing liability for particularly large-scale fraud and forgery of documents.
What's next?
If the deputy's guilt is proven, he faces long-term imprisonment and compensation for damages. The case is yet another reminder of the scale of corruption even at the regional level and the importance of holding those who abuse their positions accountable.
