In the Ternopil region, the director of a boarding school has been charged with exploiting residents
Law enforcement officials have notified the director of a psychoneurological residential care facility in the Ternopil region that he is a suspect. According to the investigation, he organized a scheme to exploit residents of the facility who were there due to mental disorders.
Investigators determined that the director exploited the vulnerable condition of residents aged 30 to 79 and may have embezzled funds earned from their labor. The investigation is ongoing.
Under the procedural guidance of the Ternopil Regional Prosecutor’s Office, the official has been notified of charges under Part 2 of Article 149 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (human trafficking).
According to the investigation, the director exploited the vulnerable condition of people aged 30 to 79 who were residing at the residential care facility due to mental disorders. They were systematically sent to perform forced labor at private farms, on construction sites, and to clean cemeteries.
“For a day of such work, the ‘clients’ paid between 150 and 450 UAH, which, according to the investigation, was received by the director,” the Office of the Prosecutor General reported.
According to the investigation, employers would agree with the facility’s director on the type and schedule of work, transfer funds to him, and he would then instruct staff to allow residents to leave the facility.
Law enforcement officers documented instances of forced labor and the transfer of money. During searches, they seized rough notes which, according to investigators, were used to keep track of such incidents.
Information regarding the possible exploitation of at least 24 residents of the psychoneurological residential care facility is currently being investigated. The issue of imposing a preventive measure on the suspect is also being decided.
This was reported with reference to the Office of the Prosecutor General.
In Kyiv, a lawyer was detained for promising to resolve an issue with a judge for $30,000.
As a reminder, former judge Vyacheslav Dzyubin was sentenced to 7 years in prison for bribery.
According to a response to our publication from Lilia Yakimyak, deputy head of the Secretariat of the High Council of Justice, in reply to a journalist’s inquiry, no specific timeline has been provided for the completion of the disciplinary complaint against Marmash. Such a prolonged delay in reviewing the complaint may be a demonstration of collusion and a reluctance to hold accountable a “convenient” judge who willingly carries out tasks assigned by unscrupulous law enforcement officials.
The allegation against Marmash is that he issued his ruling after the deadline for the pretrial investigation had already expired, thereby making it impossible to grant the relevant motion. The only lawful option in such a situation was to return the motion; however, Judge V.Y. Marmash failed to comply with the requirements of the law.
