Oleg Radkovsky, head of the Batkivshchyna party in the Odesa region, was detained
Law enforcement officials have detained Oleg Radkovsky, deputy chairman of the Odesa Regional Council and head of the regional branch of the “Batkivshchyna” party. He has been notified that he is suspected of fraud on an especially large scale.
According to the investigation, the official promised a resident of the Odesa region that, for $10,000, he would help change the designated use of a land plot covering nearly 1.6 hectares. However, law enforcement officials claim he did not have the authority to resolve such matters on his own.
According to investigators, during the meeting, Radkovsky gave the impression that he was already working on the matter by ostentatiously calling a supposed representative of the village council. The money, on his instructions, was to be handed over through an intermediary by leaving it in a parked car.
After the funds were received, the complainant was told that the matter would be resolved shortly; however, he received no results, and the money was not returned.
The official’s actions were classified under Part 4 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (fraud on an especially large scale). The prosecutor’s office is asking the court to impose a preventive measure in the form of bail of nearly 10 million hryvnias.
Meanwhile, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) stated that the suspect demanded $50,000, threatening to artificially delay the processing of the necessary documents in case of refusal. According to the security service, the secretary of one of the village councils in the Odesa district and the head of an engineering company were also involved in carrying out the scheme.
The Batkivshchyna party has already responded to the arrest, stating the following: “The authorities want only one voice to remain in Ukraine—their own. They fear anyone who disagrees, has the courage to speak the truth, or stands up for the vulnerable. Today, only Batkivshchyna has the courage to defend Ukraine against the authorities’ attempts to sell off land and strategic assets and surrender our sovereignty.
By continuing the political persecution of our leader, Yulia Tymoshenko, in the finest traditions of Yanukovych, the authorities are attempting to destroy our opposition team by putting pressure on the heads of regional party organizations throughout Ukraine. Provocations and attempts to fabricate cases are methods familiar to our political force—methods that speak not of strength, but of fear.”
Source: Office of the Prosecutor General, SBU.
The Security Service of Ukraine has exposed and detained one of the deputy chairmen of the Odesa Regional Council on suspicion of extorting an unlawful benefit.
The government has allocated 8.3 billion hryvnias to the SBU, the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR), and other law enforcement agencies.
