Over 20 searches conducted at Kyiv University of Culture, large-scale embezzlement exposed

According to Ukrinform, the Prosecutor General's Office reported this.

The searches were conducted by investigators from the Main Directorate of the National Police under the procedural guidance of the Office of the Prosecutor General and with operational support from the Security Service of Ukraine.

According to the investigation, officials of the Kyiv University of Culture, in collusion with officials from the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, organized a scheme to illegally appropriate budget funds allocated under a state program for training personnel by higher education institutions.

This refers to funding under the budget program “Training of Personnel by Higher Education Institutions and Support for Their Practical Training Bases.”

Between 2022 and 2023, approximately 760 million hryvnias were allocated from the state budget to the aforementioned educational institution under this program.

The investigation established that the basis for determining the amount of state funding was data on the number of higher education students, graduate students, and the institution’s staffing table.

According to law enforcement officials, false information about the number of students and academic staff may have been entered into official documents, providing grounds for an unjustified increase in funding.

In addition, authorities are verifying whether individuals who were actually affiliated with a private educational institution and were not eligible to participate in the relevant budget program should be included in the reports.

According to preliminary data, such actions have caused particularly significant damage to the state.

During the investigation, mobile phones, hard drives, and company seals that may contain evidence of illegal activity were seized from those involved in the scheme.

According to Ukrinform, law enforcement officials in Kyiv have informed two officials and an accountant from the State Scientific-Research Institute of Urban Design that they are now considered suspects for employing fictitious individuals to obtain draft exemptions.

Photo: Kyiv University of Culture