A corrupt official in uniform with $1 million in his stash was suing for an increase in pensions and social benefits

The former head of the Chernigov regional VLK Igor Kodovbetsky even won one court case.

The former head of the Chernihiv regional VLK Igor Kodovbetsky, from whom law enforcement officers found almost one million US dollars in cash and over 22 thousand euros, about a month ago filed a lawsuit to recalculate his pension

The ex-official believed that he was illegally set a maximum pension of no more than ten subsistence minimums for people who have lost their ability to work. This amounted to 23 thousand 610 hryvnia as of February 2024.

This is stated in the corresponding ruling of the Chernigov District Administrative Court dated January 17. Then the court accepted the statement of claim for consideration, in which Kodovbetsky, in particular, asked:

“Recognize as illegal the actions of the Main Directorate of the Pension Fund of Ukraine in the Chernihiv region to limit pensions to a maximum amount not exceeding ten subsistence minimums established for persons who have lost their ability to work.

To oblige the Main Directorate of the Pension Fund of Ukraine in the Chernihiv region from November 1, 2023 to recalculate and pay the plaintiff a pension without limitation to the maximum amount, not exceeding ten subsistence minimums established for persons who have lost their ability to work.”

He justified his position by the fact that when recalculating a previously assigned pension, a narrowing of the content and scope of social guarantees should not be allowed.

In 2023, Kodovbetsky also went to court over the recalculation of the pension amount. Then the Chernigov District Administrative Court recognized the refusal of the State Pension Fund in the Chernigov region to recalculate as unlawful and nevertheless ordered it to be carried out on the basis of an updated certificate from the TCC and the joint venture.

In 2021, Kodovbetsky sued the department of social policy of the Chernihiv City Council for payment of the underpaid part of the annual one-time cash assistance as a war invalid for 2020 in the amount of 8306 hryvnia, then he wanted to receive 11466 UAH, but received 3160 UAH. The court decided to recover these funds from the social policy department of the Chernigov City Council in favor of Kodovbetsky.

In the last electronic declaration for 2020, which Kodovbetsky submitted after his dismissal from the Armed Forces in 2021, he declared a Toyota RAV-4 of the same year of manufacture purchased in 2020; this car then cost almost 800 thousand hryvnia.

At the same time, the man indicated his income for that year at 640,467 hryvnia. In particular, we are talking about 271,313 UAH of salary in the regional TCC and joint venture, 3,306 UAH of interest from PrivatBank, 25,472 UAH of pension, 4,979 UAH for leasing property, 7,436 UAH of social payments, as well as 229,172 UAH of income from the sale of real estate and 98,789 UAH of other salary.