The Kherson City Court granted the prosecutor’s motion to conduct special judicial proceedings against the former head of a Kherson company, who is suspected of embezzling state funds and forging documents during the construction of medical facilities in the Kherson region.
This is stated in the court ruling.
This concerns the former head of the company “Teplogazmerezha” Ihor Lukyanov.
According to law enforcement, in 2020 Ihor Lukyanov reached an agreement with an engineer who was responsible for technical supervision of the construction. Together they planned to illegally embezzle funds allocated by the Department of Construction of the Kherson Regional State Administration for the construction of outpatient clinics in the villages of Shchaslyvtseve and Chonhar in Henichesk district.
Investigators found that from April to September 2020 Lukyanov signed documents on completed construction works and the purchase of equipment in which he entered inflated prices. Expert examinations confirmed that because of this the regional budget lost 130,731 hryvnias.
In July last year Ihor Lukyanov was charged. Since autumn the court attempted three times to hold a preparatory hearing, but Lukyanov did not appear in court any of those times.
As stated in the ruling, summonses were sent to his registered address and published in the state press, and law enforcement attempted to forcibly bring him to court, but this had no effect. He is currently wanted internationally.
According to the investigation, in September 2023 Lukyanov obtained a passport for travel abroad. Although there are no official marks of border crossing in the databases, the police established that the man may be in Switzerland. This information was confirmed by Lukyanov’s son, who since 2023 has been the owner and head of “Teplogazmerezha”.
Ihor Lukyanov’s lawyer tried to challenge the move to a trial in absentia, but the judge decided that the fact the defendant is internationally wanted is sufficient grounds to hear the case without his participation.
Now the court will examine the evidence and will be able to issue a verdict in absentia.