Equipment Disappearance Scandal: Explanation and Consequences

As a result of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation in Donetsk region, the city of Pokrovsk has become a battleground, and due to the evacuation of valuable property, stage equipment found its way to the city of Dnipro. However, law enforcement authorities found it on one of the sales announcement websites.

Head of Culture Department Faces Charges

According to the Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office, the head of the department of culture, tourism, and protection of cultural heritage of the Pokrovsk City Council faces up to 5 years in prison for transferring acoustic systems worth 2.7 million UAH to an entrepreneur who was supposed to keep them. Later, law enforcement officers found an advertisement for the sale of this equipment and purchased it as part of the criminal activity control.

According to the investigation, in March 2022, the mayor of Pokrovsk ordered the valuable property to be moved to safe areas and contracts to be signed for responsible storage. However, the official did not oversee the musical equipment. Photo — Kyiv Prosecutor’s Office.

The Prosecutor’s Office reported that the accused, for violating official instructions, handed over the acoustic equipment to a familiar entrepreneur without signing a written storage agreement. Later, it turned out that no one intended to return the equipment to its rightful owner — the city council. The entrepreneur decided to sell the acoustic systems.

«The accused retrospectively signed a contract for the transfer of property for storage, but could not disclose the whereabouts of the equipment. The sanction for this act provides for up to 5 years of imprisonment and a ban on holding certain positions or engaging in certain activities for up to three years,» the Prosecutor’s Office reported.

As of June 13, 2024, the Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office has sent an indictment to the court regarding the head of the department for negligence and forgery.