The head of the Mykolaiv Regional Medical-Social Expertise was found to have more than 450,000 dollars

The head of the Mykolaiv Regional Medical and Social Expertise Center was found to possess over $450,000 following searches by Ukrainian law enforcement authorities.

This information reported according to a report from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

During the raids, the woman had hidden the cash and a collection of jewelry across multiple locations, with the majority found at her son’s residence. Her son, a medical intern, was also discovered to possess a Russian passport. The SBU noted that he had acquired Russian citizenship at the former Russian consulate in Odesa before the full-scale war began.

The investigation revealed that to conceal her illegal earnings from corruption schemes involving draft dodgers, she registered three undeclared apartments in her son’s name. Between 2015 and 2023, the head of the medical and social expertise center had only declared official income totaling just over 2 million hryvnias (around €45,000). Additionally, it was uncovered that in 2023, she fraudulently obtained second-degree disability status for both herself and her son to secure additional state benefits and social payments.

Authorities are currently deciding whether to charge the official with formal accusations, and the investigation is ongoing to establish all aspects of the crime.

The information suggests that the individual in question might be Vera Belyakova, the acting chief physician of the Mykolaiv Regional Medical and Social Expertise Center, who has held the position since 2019. Her financial disclosure from the previous year lists ownership of three apartments in Mykolaiv and a 2013 Hyundai vehicle. In 2022, her income amounted to approximately 500,000 UAH (€11,100), with an additional 22,000 UAH (€500) in pension payments.

This case mirrors a similar incident in early October when authorities detained Tetyana Krupa, the head of the Medical and Social Expertise Commission (MSEC) in the Khmelnytsky region. Millions of dollars were found at her residence, including nearly $6 million in various currencies. Investigators also uncovered documents confirming illegal activities and money laundering through business projects. During the search, Krupa attempted to dispose of some of the money by throwing two bags containing $500,000 out of a window.

Krupa, a member of the Khmelnytskyi Regional Council from the “Servant of the People” party, chaired the Health and Social Policy, Education, Science, Culture, Religion, Youth, and Sports Commission. In 2021, she led the “For Family Values” parliamentary group. On October 7, the Pechersky District Court of Kyiv placed Krupa in custody for two months with the option of bail set at over 500 million UAH (€11.2 million).

It was later revealed that in the Khmelnytsky region, 49 prosecutors, including the regional prosecutor Oleksiy Oleynyk, had fraudulently obtained disability status through Krupa.