According to the materials of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the former head of the Kherson Regional Administration, who held this position from October 2021 to July 2022, received suspicion. It is about Hennadii Lahuta.
The suspect was declared under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
- Part 3 of Art. 358 (forgery of documents, seals, stamps and forms, sale or use of forged documents, seals, stamps);
- Part 4 of Art. 190 (fraud).
The sanction of the articles provides imprisonment for a term of up to 12 years with confiscation of property.
One of the episodes, which is currently being investigated by the Ukrainian special service, concerns the illegal possession of property. In particular, the former official appropriated a car that was given to him for temporary free use during a full-scale invasion.
According to the investigation materials, in the spring of 2022, at the height of the invasion, the official himself turned to a local businesswoman with a request to provide him with an SUV for free use "for official purposes." Out of patriotic motives, wanting to help, the woman agreed to give him a vehicle.
However, in July 2022, the official took advantage of her absence in Ukraine and decided to privatize the car through a private notary.
He received a power of attorney from the notary, which authorized him to dispose of this car (in particular, to sell, lease it on terms at his discretion).
Then the official "sold" this car to his subordinate — the head of the patronage service of Kherson Regional Military Administration and the next day he "resold" it back to his head.
Currently, the vehicle has been impounded. During the examination, it was established that the "notarial power of attorney" had a forged signature of the entrepreneur.
During the presidency of Volodymyr Zelensky, since May 20, 2019, 5 governors have already changed in Kherson region.
Dmytro Butrii — April 12 — July 11, 2019 (an acting head).
Yurii Husev — July 11, 2019 — December 3, 2020.
Serhiy Kozyr — from December 3, 2020 (temporary acting head), March 1 — October 26, 2021.
Hennadiy Lahuta — October 26, 2021 — July 9, 2022.
Dmytro Butrii — July 9 — August 3, 2022 (temporary an acting head).
Yaroslav Yanushevych — August 3, 2022 — January 24, 2023.