Prosecutors from the Cherkasy Regional Prosecutor’s Office have officially notified a former Member of Parliament and ex-Minister of Environmental Protection of Ukraine of suspicion regarding the embezzlement of over 5.6 million UAH in state grant funds. According to media reports, the suspect is Viktor Boiko, who currently chairs the supervisory board of a Kyiv-based higher education institution. Along with the former minister, the director and the chief accountant of a private enterprise have also been served with notices of suspicion.
According to the investigation, in early 2024, the former government official organized a scheme to seize state funds allocated under a government grant program designed to support the manufacturing industry. The suspects submitted a business plan to the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, which outlined the purchase of a modern production line for animal feed and the creation of new jobs.
Following the official approval of the application, over 5.6 million UAH was transferred to the enterprise’s account. However, law enforcement officials established that there was never any intention to purchase the equipment.
«The grant funds were transferred to the account of a controlled company based on documents containing false information. The equipment stipulated in the business plan was never actually purchased, and the promised new jobs were never created,» the prosecutor’s office stated.
To disguise the misuse of budget funds, the scheme participants submitted falsified reports to banking and regulatory institutions throughout 2024–2026. These documents featured fake data claiming the successful launch of the production line.
During physical inspections of the enterprise, the suspects resorted to further manipulation: they presented old machinery that had already been in use by the factory for years as the newly acquired grant equipment.
A subsequent forensic economic audit confirmed that the suspects’ actions caused damages to the state budget exceeding 5.6 million UAH.
Law enforcement authorities have charged the former top official with organizing the embezzlement of property on an especially large scale, forgery in office, and the legalization (money laundering) of proceeds of crime.
The director and the accountant of the enterprise face charges of conspiracy and aiding and abetting under the same articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The pre-trial investigation is currently ongoing, and the court is expected to rule on preventive measures for the suspects shortly.