Cherkasy official accused of illicit enrichment

Oleksandr Yatsenko, director of the housing and communal services department of the Cherkasy City Council and a member of the Territorial Centre for Mobilisation and Social Support, has found himself at the centre of a corruption scandal. 

According to media reports, his assets, valued at 15 million hryvnia, significantly exceed his officially declared income.

Hidden assets

The National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) established that Yatsenko failed to declare a number of high-value assets in his declaration. These include:

• Two luxury cars – a Mercedes-Benz GLS 580 and a Lotus Eletre, registered in the name of his mother, who, it emerged, does not even hold a driver's licence.
• A Land Rover Discovery, which the official uses personally, although the vehicle is formally owned by the "Second Front Cherkasy" charitable foundation.
• A Volkswagen Touareg, purchased this year.
• A plot of land in the Svidyntsi rural hromada, which he owns jointly with his common-law wife.

Investigation and consequences

The NACP confirmed the absence of legal sources of income that could explain the purchase of such expensive property. As a result, part of the official's assets has been seized.

This case once again raises questions about the transparency of declarations and the control over the assets of civil servants, particularly those holding senior positions. The investigation is currently ongoing, and Yatsenko himself, according to sources, is avoiding commenting on the accusations.

Note: If the fact of illicit enrichment is proven, the official may face criminal liability, including the confiscation of property.