Scandal in Vyshgorod: Allegations of Embezzling Budget Funds

The mayor of Vyshgorod, Oleksiy Momot, and the director of a contracting organization are facing allegations of embezzling over 6.6 million UAH. This was reported by the Office of the General Prosecutor, which announced suspicions under Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine regarding abuse of office and misappropriation of budget funds.
According to the prosecution, in the early months of the full-scale invasion by Russian troops, city council officials organized the purchase of two backhoe loaders worth 7.8 million UAH under the pretense of supporting a volunteer formation.
The investigation found that the equipment was acquired through a controlled company that lacked the capacity or financial resources to fulfill the contract. The purchase price was inflated by approximately 800,000 UAH per unit.
“Despite this, acceptance acts were signed, and funds were transferred from the local budget. The equipment actually arrived only several months later and was accounted on the balance of municipal enterprises. As a result of these actions, the community's budget suffered losses of over 1.6 million UAH,” the prosecution emphasized.
Another episode concerns dredging works at a stormwater retention pond in Vyshgorod.
“According to the investigation, the mayor, fully aware of the contractor's failure to perform the work, signed acceptance acts and initiated the transfer of funds to the contractor. Thus, more than 5 million UAH was illegally withdrawn from the local budget to the company's account,” the prosecution noted.
As reported by Ukrinform, on July 29, the mayor of Vyshgorod was notified of suspicion of embezzling over 736,000 UAH during the procurement of equipment for the water utility. On July 30, a motion was filed in court to suspend the suspect from office, but the court returned this motion to the prosecutor on formal grounds.