Kharkiv officials embezzled Hr 5 million ($186,000) that was supposed to be paid out to pensioners in the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced on Aug. 30.
A joint operation of the SBU and the National Police uncovered the alleged scheme, which has been running for years.
According to law enforcers, Kharkiv officials pretended to issue pension payments by editing the pension database. Instead, the money was transferred to their personal bank cards.
Two suspects have been charged with fraud and unauthorized interference in the function of electronic systems.
“All of this was happening without any of the pensioners knowing, some of them have potentially already passed away,” the Kharkiv oblast SBU division said in a statement.
During the searches, SBU officers confiscated illegally issued bank cards and draft documents containing proof of the multimillion hryvnia transactions using social benefit funds.
