Mayor of Odesa Gennadiy Trukhanov Arrested in Connection with Embezzlement Charges

Mayor of Odesa, Gennadiy Trukhanov, was taken into custody by police on Thursday, May 4, in connection with an embezzlement investigation known as the Krayan case, as reported by the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).

In 2017, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) accused him of organizing a city council vote, in September 2016, to buy the old Krayan factory building for $7 million when it had been bought by a private firm for only $152,000 at the beginning of the year, as reported by the Kyiv Post at the time.

On April 25, 2023, the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine (HACC) ordered Trukhanov to pay bail worth over $800,000 as a preventive measure while investigations into the embezzlement case continue. In addition to the payment of bail, Trukhanov must abide by a number of restrictions imposed by the HACC, as reported by the Kyiv Post. However, Trukhanov failed to pay the bail, and SAPO asked the HACC to take him into custody.

Today, the HACC decided to arrest Trukhanov for 60 days with an alternative to pay bail over $360,000. He was arrested on the premises of HACC.

Trukhanov is a controversial politician who was elected to the top office in Odesa, a center for Ukrainian shipbuilding and trade, in 2014. In the early stages of his career, he was aligned with pro-Moscow political parties, but in recent years he positioned himself as an advocate of Odesa's economic growth.

His critics have accused him of running a corrupt city hall. The NABU has investigated a number of alleged embezzlement cases in Odesa municipality, with Trukhanov’s involvement.

Other Topics of Interest

Ukraine’s Population is Nosediving. Can Anything Be Done?

How can Ukraine build a future in the face of ominous population statistics? A forum in Kyiv talked strategies.