Mayor of Vyshgorod was notified of suspicion of embezzlement of more than 6 million: what is known about the case
8 October 17:30
The Prosecutor General’s Office has notified the mayor of Vyshgorod and the director of a contractor organization of suspicion in a case of embezzlement of more than UAH 6.6 million. The report did not name the names, but the mayor of Vyshgorod is Oleksiy Momot, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
According to the investigation, the abuses occurred in the first months of the full-scale invasion of Russia, when the city authorities purchased equipment and organized contracting work.
Details of the suspicion
- Purchase of excavators: according to the documents, the community purchased two backhoe loaders for UAH 7.8 million. According to the investigation, the equipment cost almost UAH 800 thousand more per unit. In total, the community lost about UAH 1.6 million.
- Intermediary company: the supplier was a company that did not have the capacity or finances to fulfill the contract. The equipment actually arrived only a few months later.
- Dredging works: another UAH 5 million was allocated for cleaning the stormwater drainage pond. The investigation claims that the work was not completed, but the mayor signed the acts and transferred the funds.
Why it is important
It is about the use of community funds during a critical period when most budgets were used for defense and support of people. If the suspicions are confirmed, the case could become one of the most high-profile examples of abuse of power at the local level during the war.
The case also shows the vulnerability of the public procurement system in the first months of the full-scale invasion, when control was weakened and officials were given more freedom to spend money.
Oleksiy Momot has been the head of Vyshhorod since 2015. In 2016, he was already detained on suspicion of bribery, but the case was later closed.
Abuses in procurement with community funds are regularly reported in Ukraine. According to the State Audit Service, in 2024 alone, the state lost more than UAH 3.5 billion due to violations in local government procurement.
Anti-corruption experts have repeatedly emphasized that martial law increases the risk of corruption due to simplified procurement procedures.
What’s next
The case was referred to court. If the mayor and the contractor are proven guilty, they could face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.
