State audit findings: Lviv City Council headed by Sadovyi violated the law by more than UAH 102 million (document)
July 5, 2025
A high-profile investigation into the possible embezzlement of funds allocated for housing repairs after a rocket attack on Stryiska Street continues in Lviv. The defendants in the case are heads of municipal structures and district administrations, subordinates of Mayor Andriy Sadovyi, Leopolis.News reports.
The essence of the charges
According to the investigation, more than UAH 1.7 million was misappropriated during the renovation of houses 62, 64, 66 and 68 on Stryiska Street. The scheme involved inflating prices for construction materials and forging documents. The scheme involved signing contracts with controlled companies that provided inflated estimates.
Three officials have been charged with suspicion:
- Halyna Hladiak, head of the Halychyna district administration;
- Olha Strumeliak, former acting head of the Frankivsk District Administration;
- Oleg Polishchuk, director of Rembud.
They are charged with abuse of office and misappropriation of property on a large scale (Article 364 and Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
Position of the parties
Lawyer Andriy Petryshyn, representing the public, called for online broadcasts of court hearings so that Lviv residents could follow the progress of the case. In his opinion, transparency of the process is necessary because the suspects remain in their positions and have access to budget funds.
Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said that 132 million UAH had been allocated to restore buildings after the missile strike, and later clarified the amount to 147 million UAH. This “difference” drew criticism from experts and lawyers.
Court decisions
The Halytskyi District Court of Lviv initially refused to remove the suspects from office. Judge Khrystyna Mysko argued that this was due to Oleh Polishchuk’s “strong social ties,” including his family status and lack of criminal record.
However, the prosecutor’s office appealed this decision. On August 14, 2025, the Lviv Court of Appeal upheld the complaint and ordered that Polishchuk be suspended from his position as director of Rembud for 60 days.
Reputation of the judge
Judge Khrystyna Mysko, who presided over the case at first instance, has repeatedly been in the spotlight for questionable decisions. Journalists have cited examples of her bias and contradictory findings in previous cases. This casts doubt on the judge’s impartiality in the case against the city council officials.
Public control
Human rights defenders and activists support the idea of public broadcasts, believing that this will prevent abuse. According to lawyer Petryshyn, Lviv needs a system of open justice so that the public can monitor high-profile trials.
