More than UAH 2.2 million of grant funds from international grant programs were embezzled by the deputy mayor and director of a company.

The funds were allocated for the implementation of the Joint operational program Romania-Ukraine 2014-2020. They were to be used to build a rehabilitation center.

The investigation found that officials of the contractor and the customer signed the acts of completion, although the work at the facility was not fully completed.

In this way the officials and their accomplices seized more than UAH 2.2 million. The director of the company involved in the criminal scheme cashed out UAH 800 thousand of this amount. In other words he legalized the property obtained by criminal means.

These individuals were served a notice of suspicion and the criminal proceedings were sent to court. One of the suspects was put on the wanted list.

The pre-trial investigation was carried out by detectives of the Territorial Department ESBU in Zakarpattia region in cooperation with the Strategic Investigations Department of the State Secret Service of Ukraine in Zakarpattia region.

Procedural supervision was provided by prosecutors of the Zakarpattia Regional Prosecutor's Office.

As a reminder today during a meeting of the Interagency Coordination Council on Countering Violations Affecting the Financial Interests of Ukraine and the EU it was decided to establish a working group to develop regulations to protect the financial interests of the EU.

The group will consist of representatives of the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, the Government Office for Coordination of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Police, the Office of the Prosecutor General, the NAPC, the NABU and the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine.