In the Odesa region, a TCC official demanded $10,000 to close a case involving a special communications device

Law enforcement officials have exposed the head of a group at one of the regional recruitment and social support centers in the Odesa region for extorting bribes. 

This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General.

The official promised a servicemember that, in exchange for money, he would resolve the issue of closing criminal proceedings for desertion. Additionally, for the specified amount, he guaranteed to assist in the appointment to a vacant position at the TCC by providing the relevant written consent.

The investigation established that the perpetrator resorted to direct threats: in the event of a refusal to pay, he promised to report the violation to law enforcement agencies and create obstacles to the soldier’s continued service. The bribe was transferred in installments, and upon receiving the final installment, the official was detained in accordance with Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. He has now been notified of suspicion of receiving benefits for influencing decision-making, combined with extortion.

The court has already imposed a preventive measure of detention on the suspect, but has allowed for the possibility of posting bail in the amount of 998,400 UAH. The Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for the Defense Sector of the Southern Region is overseeing the proceedings in this case. At this stage, law enforcement officials are investigating the involvement of other officials in the scheme and examining the presence of additional instances of corrupt activity within this unit of the Russian Federation or related structures. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing to establish all the circumstances of the crime.

The SBU has uncovered a scheme toevade mobilization through fictitious lyceums.

The head of a sapper unit has been charged with fraudulentdemining operations worth 6.3 million hryvnias.

As a reminder, the organizer of a scheme to smuggle draft dodgers out of the country for $12,000 was detained in Kyiv.

Also, an employee of the Territorial Recruitment Center in Chernihiv region was detained for bribery.