The National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) is set to conduct a full verification of the asset declaration filed by Kivertsi Mayor Oleksandr Kovalchuk. The audit was triggered by numerous discrepancies and significant gaps between the official financial reports of the public official and his actual luxurious lifestyle. This comes in the wake of an extensive investigative report by local media, which drew public and law enforcement attention to the mayor’s assets.
According to his official declaration, Oleksandr Kovalchuk does not own any real estate, apartments, land plots, or bank savings. The only asset listed under his name is a 2007 Dacia Logan service car. Meanwhile, the mayor reported an annual salary of 930,000 UAH (approximately 60,000 UAH net per month), while his wife, an entrepreneur, declared 2.32 million UAH in annual income along with a 2016 Mercedes-Benz GL.
Despite these modest real estate figures, the family actually lives in a completely different environment. Years ago, the official explained to journalists that he uses his mother’s housing, yet such data is traditionally omitted from official documents, and his official registration address does not match his actual place of residence.
In practice, the mayor’s family resides in a two-story house of approximately 130 square meters in the village of Zhabka, Volyn Oblast. The fenced-off property features outbuildings, a garage, a sauna, a garden, and a large swimming pool. However, the estate is officially registered to the official’s 70-year-old mother, who worked as an elementary school teacher for over 40 years and lives in a different village, Trostianets.
Additionally, journalists spotted a 2012 Toyota Land Cruiser parked near the house, also registered in the pensioner’s name. As the investigation revealed, the elderly woman has never driven a car in her life, yet traffic violation fines regularly arrive in her name. Kovalchuk himself has previously faced police attention over a drunk driving incident and a hit-and-run.
«Sasha, another ‘happy letter’ has arrived,» the pensioner remarked, describing how she receives traffic tickets for the luxury SUV formally registered to her.
Apart from the estate in Zhabka, another large recreation complex is being built 40 kilometers from Lutsk, in the village of Bashlyky. The fenced waterfront property includes three houses (two wooden guest houses and a larger brick building), with a private swimming pool under construction near the main building. Local authorities confirmed that the official has regularly visited this site with family and friends for years.
The land plot for this construction is registered to a resident of Lutsk who has been living abroad for a long time. The construction process has been marred by serious scandals, including suspicions of illegal sand mining on the shore and unauthorized connection to the power grid. Due to these violations, the power utility disconnected the facility and issued fines exceeding 170,000 UAH to the plot owner.
The situation surrounding the property of the Kivertsi mayor’s family has become the focus of anti-corruption agencies. The full NACP verification is expected to provide an objective assessment of the origins of the funds used for the elite real estate and vehicles effectively utilized by the official’s family but registered to third parties. Should the audit reveal signs of illicit enrichment or intentional concealment of assets in the declaration, the official will face statutory liability.