Five deputies of the Kyiv Regional Council have been notified of suspicion of fraud involving budget funds through a scheme connected with the "Care" program, Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko said on Thursday on social media, UNN reports.
"Care" for their own: five deputies of the Kyiv Regional Council notified of suspicion of fraud involving budget funds
He noted that the "Care" program was created for people who genuinely need assistance: families of persons and children with disabilities, people facing difficult life circumstances and those affected by the war, veterans, military personnel, and families of fallen defenders. During 2021–2025, approximately UAH 384 million in budget funds was allocated for its implementation.
"I remember well how much effort it took to secure funding for this program when I headed the Kyiv Regional Military Administration. Every hryvnia had to work for those who truly needed support. And indeed, many deputies conscientiously performed their duties, communicated with people, determined their needs in difficult life circumstances, and genuinely helped," Kravchenko said.
"However, there were also those who, according to the investigation, turned the assistance mechanism into a scheme for personal enrichment. It was established that some of the budget funds under the "Care" program were received not by those for whom it had been created, but by relatives and close associates of certain deputies of the Kyiv Regional Council," the Prosecutor General noted.
According to him, "the scheme was simple." "Fictitious medical documents were prepared in the names of relatives. Based on them, the deputies applied for material assistance payments. At the same time, the recipients had no real need for treatment or social support. The money received from the budget was spent on aesthetic medicine services, the purchase of expensive cars, and other personal needs. In some cases, part of the assistance was returned to the deputies – tens of thousands of hryvnias were transferred directly to their personal bank cards," the Prosecutor General reported.
"Today, under the procedural guidance of the Prosecutor General's Office, five deputies of the Kyiv Regional Council and four of their relatives have been notified of suspicion," Kravchenko said. "Depending on their roles, their actions were qualified as organizing, carrying out, and aiding fraud committed on a large and especially large scale, including by an organized group – Parts 2, 3, and 5 of Article 27 and Parts 4 and 5 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine."
The investigation is ongoing. Other possible participants in the scheme are being identified, he added.
"Budget programs are created to help people, not to enrich those who have access to the distribution of funds. When money intended for people in difficult circumstances is directed to "their own," and part of it is subsequently returned to deputies, this is no longer "Care." It is fraud involving budget funds," the Prosecutor General emphasized.