The daughter of Ternopil’s mayor was found to own a villa in Miami worth $1.8 million, prompting an investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office have initiated proceedings after journalists discovered a villa in Miami worth $1.8 million belonging to the daughter of the mayor of Ternopil.

Ukrainian journalists have reported on this matter.

In September 2022, information surfaced online that the 26-year-old daughter of Ternopil’s mayor, Sergey Nadal, had acquired a property in Miami valued at over $1,870,000. The purchase was made just days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Journalists revealed that the mayor’s daughter, Anastasia, and her husband purchased a townhouse for $300,000 in Miami, followed by the acquisition of a property for $1,870,000, an apartment for $380,000, and corporate rights in a private security company.

According to the journalists, the couple cannot explain the origin of this property. Furthermore, Sergey Nadal himself traveled to the United States personally before the acquisition of the aforementioned real estate. There is information suggesting that Anastasia Rodriguez received the apartment as a gift from her father on the occasion of the birth of her child.

Regarding the Miami property of the Ternopil mayor, the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine has opened a case under the Ukrainian Criminal Code’s “Unlawful Enrichment” article. The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). Additionally, the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) has initiated an inquiry into “verifying the compliance of the standard of living of Sergey Nadal and his family members with their property and income.” The NAPC has also contacted the State Financial Monitoring Service of Ukraine for further financial monitoring of Anastasia Rodriguez’s accounts and has sent a request to the FBI for the same purpose. Separate inquiries have been made with the U.S. border and customs authorities concerning the mayor of Ternopil’s international travel.

Recently, journalists received a response to their request from the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, confirming the registration of the case on October 11, 2023. The legal qualification is under Article 368-5 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code, “Unlawful Enrichment,” and the pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine.

As of now, the mayor of Ternopil, Sergey Nadal, has not responded to the disclosure of these new developments. However, in the past year, he referred to his Miami properties as “fake and lies.”

It is worth noting that Mayor Nadal of Ternopil had previously awarded himself bonuses amounting to 250% of his salary during wartime. He received the maximum bonus and allocated funds for his own well-being.

Earlier reports also mentioned that the mayor of Ternopil was concerned about citizens using bomb shelters for drinking. He urged the public to be more responsible regarding their safety, particularly during air raids.