The Prosecutor Generalʼs Office of the Czech Republic accuses the founder of the charity fund “Help Ukraine” Volodymyr Herhel of embezzling 20 million kroner (approximately $885 000). The funds were to be spent on helping Ukrainian refugees.
This was reported by the Czech broadcaster ČT24.
A few months after the beginning of Russiaʼs full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in April 2022, the person involved in the case opened the "Roztyly" center, in which Ukrainian children were supposed to be helped to adapt to life in the Czech Republic — to learn languages, etc.
Under the condition that these services will be free of charge, the Ministry of Education of the Czech Republic has allocated two subsidies to Volodymyr Gergelʼs “Help Ukraine” fund — a total of 20 million crowns.
However, the journalists of the Czech Broadcasting Company established that parents paid money for their childrenʼs visits to the center, and the teachers there did not receive a salary.
ČT24 writes that Gergel planned to buy an apartment with the funds received.
The investigation found out that after the first 15 million kroner was credited, the suspect transferred two million of them to his motherʼs accounts. Later, he had to withdraw six million in cash from the fund account and immediately pay eight million for the purchase of a Prague apartment.
The law enforcement officers seized property worth at least 12 million kroner from the person involved in the case, including a share in a housing and construction cooperative.
The Czech police have been investigating Gergelʼs case since the second half of 2023, the indictment was sent in the spring of this year. At the beginning of August, the prosecutorʼs office satisfied the indictment, and the man will be tried later.
The figure faces up to 10 years in prison.