The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) on June 12 announced its decision regarding the guilt of seven individuals involved in a criminal organization accused of embezzling the international airport "Odessa".

This information was released by the press service of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.

The defendants were former leaders of the Odessa City Council who systematically accepted bribes and ensured the passage of necessary decisions. They were specifically charged with embezzling the municipal enterprise "International Airport "Odessa" in 2011, valued at over 118 million UAH.

Those charged include former Odessa mayor Oleksiy Kostusiev, businessmen Boris Kaufman and Alex Borukhovich (formerly known as Oleksandr Granovskyi).

The accused are required to fully compensate the damage to the Odessa City Council, including paying 150 million UAH to the council's account and returning 2,488 units of property.

They received prison sentences ranging from 7 to 8 years, as well as fines totaling over 400 million UAH.

“Considering the provided testimonies, the convicted were released from punishment with the establishment of a probation period. For certain crimes, some individuals were released from serving their sentences due to the expiration of the statute of limitations,” the SAP reported.

It is also noted that the maximum fine allowed by current legislation was applied for the first time, totaling 204 million UAH. Another defendant received an additional penalty in the form of a fine of 102 million UAH, while two others faced fines exceeding 30 million UAH each.

According to the court's decision, over 6 million UAH, more than $582 thousand, and 6000 euros were confiscated from the convicted individuals, along with six high-value real estate properties, including a 700 sq. m apartment in central Odessa.

Additionally, the convicted transferred 20 million UAH and are obligated to transfer another 106 million UAH to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Under the terms of the approved agreement, the defendants undertook to pay on behalf of the state and the territorial community of Odessa and transfer property valued at over 1 billion UAH. This marks the largest agreement in the history of plea deals.

Reminder:

In 2011, a company named "International Airport Odessa" was established for the reconstruction of the airport in Odessa, 25% of which belonged to the city. The other participant in the enterprise with a 75% share was the company "Odessa Airport Development," associated with the Odessa businessmen Kaufman and Borukhovich. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau began its investigation in 2016.