A scheme involving bribes to secure exemptions from mobilization has been uncovered in Zakarpattia – SBU
The Security Service of Ukraine and the National Police have dismantled a draft evasion scheme in Zakarpattia involving the issuance of fake draft notices. According to the investigation, the head of a public organization, together with a former official of the district military registration and enlistment office, issued fictitious summonses and documents to draft dodgers in exchange for money, allowing them to avoid conscription. The suspects have been detained, and the investigation is ongoing.
As the investigation established, the suspects sold clients summonses to appear at the Military Registration and Enlistment Office with a date one month after the “purchase” of the document. This effectively gave them “reservation” status in the event of a verification of their records by law enforcement.
If a new document was needed, the organizers of the scheme would issue new copies to the draft dodgers for an additional fee. The cost of the “service” ranged from $800 to $2,000 per summons.
According to the case materials, the scheme was organized by the head of a local NGO and a former military officer. Information regarding the involvement of the acting head of the district TCC and his subordinate—an employee of one of the departments at a restricted-access facility—is currently being verified.
SBU officers documented the transfer of one of the “installments” to the organizers of the crime. During searches of the suspects’ homes and workplaces, documentation and mobile phones containing evidence of the crimes were discovered. Currently, the detainees have been notified of suspicion under Part 5 of Article 27 and Part 3 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (aiding and abetting the acceptance of a proposal, promise, or receipt of an unlawful benefit by a public official).
It is planned to notify all participants in the scheme of the charges against them. The perpetrators face up to 10 years in prison with confiscation of property. The comprehensive measures were carried out under the procedural guidance of the Transcarpathian Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for the Western Region.
As a reminder, officials of the Transitional Control Commission (TCC) from Ivano-Frankivsk region face up to 12 years in prison for torture.
In Kharkiv, a scheme for illegally smuggling conscripts abroad was uncovered, involving a TCC employee and a former “Berkut” officer. According to the investigation, they promised to arrange travel to Slovakia for $18,000.
The SBU detained the head of the Medical Examination Commission in Kropyvnytskyi for selling disability certificates.
