Articles posted by super-admin-miller

Today, the prosecutor’s office conducted mass investigative actions against educators of the Teofipol community in the Khmelnytskyi region. 9 directors of educational institutions and 6 accountants received reports of suspicion in a criminal case about heating tariffs.

The bottom line: In 2021-2022, gas and energy prices increased several times. To prevent children from freezing in schools, local authorities approved an annual tariff with monthly payments. Educational institutions signed contracts for heat supply and paid exactly for the amount of heat they received.

The prosecutor’s office considers this to be a case of causing damage to the state, since heat was not supplied in the summer months (May-July), but payment was made.

What happened today:

• 15 simultaneous searches
• 15 requests for the application of the mildest preventive measure
• 13 blank search reports without any seizure of items or documents

Why this is important to understand: Educators are suspected of a crime allegedly committed through signing heating contracts. Such actions do not pose a threat to society or the investigation.

The suspects are experienced education workers who do not evade the investigation.

Having received the status of a suspect, a person is automatically obliged to come to the investigator’s summons and comply with his lawful demands.

Therefore, in this situation, the use of any preventive measure makes no sense. Even the mildest: a personal commitment (when a person promises to follow certain rules during the investigation).

Our position: we see work on mass effect and the pursuit of indicators instead of quality investigation. Three years ago, our clients were solving the issue of school heating in conditions of rapidly increasing energy prices. Children had to study in warmth. For this, they have now been unjustifiably called criminals.

We will provide professional protection for each client. We will appeal every procedural violation or illegal decision.

The Prosecutor General’s Office, Khmelnytskyi Regional Prosecutor’s Office — isn’t it time to remember that justice should be fair, not spectacular?

Justice should be based on facts, not on the number of investigative actions per day.

Today we returned from the beautiful city of Teofipol, in the Khmelnytskyi region. We will protect those who have invested many years of their lives in educating the new generation – school principals and representatives of the local community.

Sit comfortably, we will tell you some interesting details.

Let’s start with the region, it is very famous for the fact that a considerable number of prosecutors have received the status of a person with a disability of the second group. One of them is the Volochysk district prosecutor, who authorized this case and he has a disability of the second group, but when the scandal broke, he went to the CCC, and today he is dismissed. Another prosecutor was in the process of registering his disability, but did not have time.

Now a little about the city of Teofipol. This is an ancient Ukrainian settlement, known since 1420, which has stood at the crossroads of history and struggle for more than six centuries. Here the community has always united in times of trial – from Cossack uprisings to modern war. Our clients did everything in their power during the full-scale invasion so that children in schools did not freeze. And they did it within the limits of the law.

And now for the matter. What happened?

School principals, employees of institutions, and village council officials made decisions so that children would not freeze in classrooms and so that the educational process would not be disrupted, because the prices for gas and other energy sources increased significantly during the 2021-2022 heating season.

In this regard, in order to reduce the financial burden on the community budget, the Executive Committee approved a new tariff at the end of December, designed for 12 months of 2022, with monthly payment. If you add everything together, the utility company actually received payment for exactly the amount of heat it supplied according to the tariff calculation principle.

What did investigators and prosecutors see?

That the state suffered losses because in May, June, and July there was in fact no heat supply, but there was payment.

Everything would be fine, the investigation has been going on for three years and could have been even longer. But investigators and prosecutors began to put pressure on those who provided education, who were looking for solutions so that the new generation could study in warmth, and found these solutions within the law. This is about obscene language, about dissatisfaction that people took advantage of Article 63 of the Constitution of Ukraine, and for this there were separate meetings with threats.

We ask the prosecutor’s office and investigators to remain humane towards those who raised their children, including them.

We will provide these people with adequate protection.