The head of the TCC in Mykolaiv was sentenced to 60 days in jail
The court imposed a pretrial restraint on the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Tax and Customs Committee and Specialized Prosecutor’s Office in a case involving the receipt of an unlawful benefit. The court ordered the official to be held in custody for 60 days but allowed him to be released on bail in the amount of 4,659,200 hryvnias. According to the investigation, he was detained the day before while receiving $10,000.
On August 14, a hearing was held at the Mykolaiv Central District Court to determine a pretrial measure for the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Tax and Customs Service and Joint Stock Company. After hearing both sides, Judge Olesia Deminska ruled to remand the suspect in custody for 60 days.
At the same time, the court provided for the possibility of release from custody if bail is posted. The amount of bail is set at 1,400 times the subsistence minimum for able-bodied individuals—4,659,200 hryvnias. Thus, the official may be released from pretrial detention before the court-ordered period expires if the required amount is paid on his behalf. The court has not yet issued a final ruling on his guilt.
The prosecutor requested that the suspect be held in custody
During the hearing, Prosecutor Andriy Chornyi insisted that the suspect be remanded in custody. The prosecution explained this by citing risks that could arise during the investigation. In particular, the prosecutor believes that the suspect could abscond from the investigation, influence witnesses, or otherwise obstruct the criminal proceedings.
According to the prosecutor, the official’s age and health do not preclude his detention in a pretrial detention center. Initially, the prosecution requested that bail be set at 1,500 times the minimum subsistence level for able-bodied individuals. The prosecutor also requested that, if bail were granted, the suspect be prohibited from leaving the city of Mykolaiv and be required to report any change of residence. However, the court ultimately set bail at a different amount—over 4.6 million hryvnias.
The defense attorney considers the bail amount excessive
The suspect’s defense objected to the bail amount proposed by the prosecution. Attorney Volodymyr Tymoshin asked the court to take his client’s financial situation into account. In his opinion, the bail amount requested by the prosecutor is excessive.
The head of the Mykolaiv Regional Traffic Control and Safety Center himself does not admit guilt. Thus, during the hearing, the positions of the parties differed significantly. The prosecution insisted on the need for pretrial detention due to potential risks to the investigation, while the defense asked the court to take into account the circumstances and the suspect’s financial situation.
Why Was the Head of the TCC Detained?
Law enforcement officers detained the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Registration and Enlistment Office on August 13. According to the investigation, the official was caught in the act of receiving $10,000. Law enforcement believes the money was intended as payment for helping three men subject to military conscription.
According to the investigation, this sum was supposed to help the men avoid mobilization, remove them from the “Oberig” system’s wanted list, and ensure they could retain their jobs. In other words, it was not merely a matter of preventing these men from being mobilized. According to the investigation, the scheme also involved changing their status in the system and subsequently securing their job reservations. However, this is merely the investigation’s version of events, not a fact established by the court. The suspect denies the charges, and his guilt must be proven in court.
This is not the first incident in the case
According to law enforcement officials, the August 13 arrest marked the second incident within this criminal proceeding. Previously, investigators also documented how the head of the regional TCC and SP received $5,000.
Thus, law enforcement officials are referring to several incidents that they link to the official’s illegal receipt of money. The new incident involving $10,000 served as the basis for the arrest and the subsequent request to the court for a pretrial restraint measure.
What the Official Faces
On August 14, the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Tax and Customs Committee and Special Operations Unit was officially served with a notice of suspicion. He is charged with accepting an offer, a promise, or receiving an unlawful benefit as a public official. Under this article of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, the punishment is up to 10 years of imprisonment, as well as confiscation of property.
However, at this stage, this is merely a suspicion. It does not automatically imply the person’s guilt. The final assessment of the evidence and circumstances of the case will be made by the court during the criminal proceedings. For now, the court has ordered the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Territorial Coordination Center and Joint Operations Unit to be held in pretrial detention for 60 days, with the option to post bail in the amount of 4,659,200 hryvnias. Suspilne correspondents are reporting this from the courtroom.
