Mykolaiv court remanded brother of Director of Housing and Communal Services Department suspected of corruption under bail of almost ₴5 million

Serhii Bezdolnyi was sent to a pre-trial detention centre on bail of almost 5 million hryvnias, NikVesti photo from the courtroom

On Tuesday, 15 April, the Zhovtnevyi District Court of Mykolaiv imposed a pre-trial restraint on suspected corrupt utility company owner Serhii Bezdolnyi with the possibility of bail in the amount of over 4.9 million hryvnais.

This was reported by a correspondent of NikVesti from the courtroom.

At the beginning of the hearing, representatives of Serhii Bezdolnyi filed a motion to consider the case in camera. His lawyer, Volodymyr Rudenko, argued that the personal data of the suspect and his family members would be disclosed during the hearing.

However, the court rejected this request and continued the hearing in the presence of correspondents.

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The prosecutor of the Mykolaiv Regional Prosecutor's Office, Volodymyr Kuznetsov, asked the court to arrest Bezdolnyi with the possibility of bail in excess of 10 million hryvnias.

In his turn, Bezdolnyi himself stated in court that he does not currently live with his wife and has a minor child, emphasising his request to be placed under house arrest. In particular, he noted that since 10 April he has been suspended from his position at the utility company, and therefore has no influence on the defendants in the criminal proceedings.

Counsel Volodymyr Rudenko added that his client had personally applied for dismissal from his position.

However, the judge ruled to arrest Serhii Bezdolnyi for 60 days. He will be held in the Mykolaiv pre-trial detention centre until 14 June 2025 and may be released on bail in the amount of 4 million 996 thousand 200 hryvnias.

The money and documents that were seized. Photo: National Police

The money and documents that were seized. Photo: National Police

Money and documents that were seized. Photo: National Police

On 9 April, it became known that Serhii Bezdolnyi, who works for the municipal enterprise «Self-supporting Construction Mechanisation Section» (hereinafter referred to as the SCMS), and a businessman from Lviv Oblast, Vasyl Protsyshyn, were notified of being suspected of misappropriating budget funds. He is charged with an offence under Part 4 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. He faces a prison sentence of 5 to 8 years. In addition to working for the utility company, Serhii Bezdolnyi is the brother of Dmytro Bezdolnyi, Director of the Housing and Communal Services Department of Mykolaiv City Council.

According to law enforcement officers, during the purchase of 65 street lighting control cabinets worth over 5.3 million hryvnias, the budget of Mykolaiv lost almost 600,000 hryvnias due to the so-called «kickbacks» — 13% of the amount excluding VAT.

The director of Mykolaiv's Department of Housing and Communal Services, Dmytro Bezdolnyi, previously told NikVesti that he was considering resigning from his post for the duration of the investigation due to the suspicion served on his relative. It is worth noting that the wife of the director of Mykolaiv's housing and communal services department also works for the utility company where his brother is suspected of corruption.

The mayor of Mykolaiv, Oleksandr Sienkevych, promised to cooperate with the investigation in the case of corruption in street lighting.