The court removed Oleksiy Momot from the post of mayor of Vyshgorod, who is suspected of embezzling 6.6 million hryvnias
The Svyatoshynskyi District Court of Kyiv made a decision to suspend Vyshgorod Mayor Oleksiy Momota from office for one month, until November 16. He is suspected of embezzling 6.6 million hryvnias during the purchase of two excavators for volunteer groups and the repair of a storm sewer sump.
The consideration of the prosecutor’s office’s motion to remove Momota from office began on October 15. Prosecutor Oleksiy Bezpalov emphasized that while in office, the suspect could influence witnesses or destroy city council documents.
During the hearing, Oleksiy Momot rejected the prosecution’s arguments and emphasized that his removal would “negatively affect the community”. He called on the court to deny the motion.
“I am the chairman of the commission for environmental safety and emergencies. It is responsible for eliminating the state of emergency. It occurs after enemy shelling. Unfortunately, dozens of houses were damaged in Vyshgorod. I coordinate the work of all utility workers, all enterprises involved in the elimination of the consequences. I am also appointed commander of a volunteer formation and am directly involved in coordinating mobile combat groups, weapons stores, and organizing night patrols,” Momot said.
His lawyer Ivan Minakov called the risks voiced by the prosecutor’s office unfounded:
“The court decided to partially satisfy the prosecutor’s request — suspended him for one month. We will prepare our decision within the legal framework and file an appeal.
The prosecutor refrained from commenting on the court’s decision.
Recall that on October 15, the court chose a preventive measure for Momot in the form of personal obligations until December 15, 2025.
On October 8, the National Police and the Prosecutor General’s Office announced the presentation of suspicions to Momot and the director of the contracting company in the embezzlement of UAH 6.6 million of budget funds. The case concerned the purchase of excavators under direct contracts and the repair of a storm sewer septic tank.
Later, Momot stated that the suspicion was a political order. He insisted that the cost of the excavators was confirmed by an expert examination, and the accusations of embezzling over UAH 5 million from the budget were unfounded.
In 2023, the police opened criminal proceedings against him on suspicion of improper use of budget funds, violations during procurement, and possible distribution of humanitarian aid under the guise of personal charity.
