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<\/p>\nThe 50-year-old woman used her friend’s public services card to claim one parent family and child benefit payments from Bundoran Post Office after her friend had returned to Ukraine<\/p>\n
Svitlana Karabudak at Letterkenny Circuit Court. (Image: North West Newspix)<\/p>\n
A pizza factory worker who stole over \u20ac21,000 in bogus benefits to have weight loss surgery in Turkey<\/a> has been told by a Judge to “accelerate” her repayments.<\/p>\n Svitlana Karabudak appeared before Donegal Circuit Court<\/a>.<\/p>\n The 50-year-old woman used her friend’s public services card to claim one parent family and child benefit payments from Bundoran Post Office after her friend had returned to Ukraine<\/a>.<\/p>\n The accused woman was previously charged with a total of 42 offences, including 16 of theft, 13 of deception and 13 of forgery.<\/p>\n She pleaded guilty to a number of sample charges of deception, forgery and theft.<\/p>\n Detective Garda Paul Lynch told the prosecuting barrister, Ms Fiona Crawford, that the fraudulent claims were made over a period of one year, from March 2023 to March 2024.<\/p>\n The total amount of money lost to the exchequer was \u20ac21,416.<\/p>\n An inspector from the social welfare<\/a>\u2019s special investigations unit had discovered that Liudmyla Rahimova was residing in a bed and breakfast in Bundoran and subsequently left to return to Ukraine with her two children.<\/p>\n It was established that the woman no longer resided at the address, but somebody was still in receipt of payments being collected at Bundoran Post Office.<\/p>\n Gardai<\/a> arrived at Ms Karabudak’s home and search it on March 18, 2024.<\/p>\n A public service card in the name of Liudmyla Rahimova was found, as well as \u20ac4,100 in \u20ac50 notes and s receipts for the cash.<\/p>\n In total, she admitted claiming \u20ac17,056 for the one-parent family payments, \u20ac3,840 in child benefit payments and a back-to-school payment of \u20ac520.<\/p>\n The accused, who came to Ireland in 2022 to escape the war and who has no previous convictions, admitted her wrongdoing.<\/p>\n During interview she told detectives that she travelled to Turkey for a weight reduction operation as well as another operation for her son.<\/p>\n Having heard representations for the accused from barrister Sean McGee BL, instructed by solicitor Rory O’Brien, Judge John Aylmer said he was anxious to impose a non-custodial sentence.<\/p>\n Last May, he adjourned final sentencing for a year to allow the accused woman to repay the monies.<\/p>\n When the case was adjourned until yesterday, the court was told that \u20ac10,910 is still outstanding of the money defrauded.<\/p>\n The Irish Mirror’s Crime Writers Michael O’Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up<\/a> and get it delivered to your inbox every week<\/p>\n Mr McGee said his client is paying between \u20ac100 and \u20ac150 per week but stressed that she is the bread-winner in the home and that she is still looking after her son who has additional needs.<\/p>\n Judge Aylmer said “concerted efforts” had been made to repay the monies, although he would have preferred to have seen an acceleration in payments but that hasn’t happened.<\/p>\n “It does seem this woman is hard-working and doing her best albeit somewhat slower than the court would like to see,” he said.<\/p>\n He added she was working and looking after her son and deserves a little more time to meet these repayments.<\/p>\n He adjourned the case until the next sitting of the court in December to see what progress is made.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0_OTOOLE-HEALY.jpg\")
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