Under the procedural guidance of prosecutors from the Office of the Attorney General, the circumstances of fraud related to fundraising for treatment organized by a 31-year-old resident of Lviv with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) have been investigated.

His charity campaign was accompanied by active informational support through social networks, Telegram channels, online platforms (PayPal, BuyMeACoffee, etc.), and with the participation of public figures and influencers who contributed to the dissemination of the fundraising.

At the same time, according to the Lviv City Council, he was receiving the mentioned treatment for free at the time of the fundraising.

During the investigation of the criminal proceedings, evidence was obtained of his misappropriation of funds from citizens and legal entities amounting to over 1.3 million UAH.

The collected funds were not fully used for their intended purpose, but were mostly directed towards personal needs, gambling, and investments in cryptocurrencies.

He has been notified of suspicion in absentia for misappropriating funds through fraud under Part 5 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

In June of this year, the man left the country.

As witnesses and victims, over 400 individuals have been interrogated, and thousands of transactions totaling over 100 million hryvnias have been established, made by individuals as "charitable" donations.

The exact number of individuals who made charitable donations to the suspect has not yet been determined.

Analysis is ongoing, but it involves thousands of transactions. It has been established that there are more than 1,200 individuals who donated amounts exceeding 10,000 UAH.

The pre-trial investigation, under the procedural guidance of the Office of the Attorney General, is being conducted by investigators from the Main Investigative Department and operational staff from the Department of Strategic Investigations of the National Police of Ukraine.

Note: According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and cannot be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt is proven in a lawful manner and established by a court verdict.