Under the procedural guidance of the Office of the Prosecutor General, a scheme of abuses has been uncovered at the regional branch "Odesa Railway" of JSC "Ukrzaliznytsia." Based on the collected evidence, 8 station managers have been notified of suspicion for abusing their official position with the aim of obtaining unlawful benefits for a legal entity, which caused severe consequences (part 1, 2 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

According to the investigation, in 2023, officials did not formalize acts regarding the detention of freight cars belonging to private enterprises that remained on the tracks for more than a day – that is, longer than the permitted established period. Such actions allowed private companies to avoid charges for downtime. As a result, JSC "Ukrzaliznytsia" suffered losses of over 9 million UAH.

Documented evidence has recorded dozens of cases of unjustified downtime of freight cars. Some of them remained on the tracks for over a month. 

Law enforcement conducted over 20 searches at the suspects' locations and at the stations of JSC "Ukrzaliznytsia," during which documents, computer equipment, and phones were seized. 

Currently, the issue of choosing a preventive measure for the suspects is being resolved.

The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the Main Investigation Department of the National Police of Ukraine with operational support from the Department for the Protection of National Statehood of the Security Service of Ukraine. 

Note: according to part one of 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 guilty verdict of the court.