Former Acting Director of Poltavapalyvo Sentenced
On November 2, 2026, the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court confirmed the June 5, 2026 verdict against Mykola Horyashchenko, the former acting director of the municipal enterprise Poltavapalyvo. He was found guilty of abusing his official position, resulting in damages totaling 12.7 million hryvnias. The court sentenced Horyashchenko to 3 years and 4 months in prison, imposed a fine of 8,500 hryvnias, and banned him from holding positions involving organizational, administrative, or economic management responsibilities for one year.
Case Details
In June 2020, Horyashchenko entered into a loan agreement worth 1.89 million hryvnias without approval from the Poltava Regional Council. He knowingly engaged in a transaction that the enterprise could not repay. Subsequently, he signed a settlement requiring Poltavapalyvo to clear the debt by October 1, 2020, or transfer real estate assets to a private company.
Acting alone and without the owner’s consent, Horyashchenko transferred six production buildings, along with auxiliary structures, into private ownership. These properties were located in:
- Poltava
- Kremenchuk
- Lubny
- Kozelshchyna District
- Mashivka District
- Reshetylivka District
The official documentation valued the transferred assets at 1,794,874 hryvnias, while expert assessments estimated their market value at 14,526,029 hryvnias.
The investigation was led by detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine in cooperation with the Special Investigations Department, under the supervision of prosecutors from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office. The verdict is effective immediately, though Horyashchenko may appeal to the Supreme Court within a three-month window.
This ruling marks a significant milestone in Ukraine’s fight against corruption, highlighting the active role of anti-corruption institutions in exposing misconduct within the public sector.
The case emphasizes the critical importance of adhering to legal standards when managing municipal assets and finances, as well as the vital oversight role of local government bodies. It also serves as a warning to public officials that abusing their positions can lead to severe penalties.
In a related case, the judicial system continues to address corruption within public offices, as seen in the recent ruling against lawyer Panasenko, who received a 4.5-year sentence for his involvement in similar misconduct. This highlights the ongoing efforts to combat corruption in Ukraine's governmental sectors. For more details, you can read about the lawyer's conviction and its implications.