An official from the Tax and Customs Service in Vinnytsia Oblast was arrested for accepting a $3,000 bribe
In the Vinnytsia region, law enforcement officials have exposed an official from the district police department who, in exchange for money, helped men remove themselves from the wanted list.
This was reported by the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI).
According to the investigation, the official from the Khmilnytskyi District Criminal Police Department organized a scheme under which he promised, for $3,000, to make changes to the system and remove a person from the wanted list.
To avoid detection, he instructed his subordinates to make the necessary changes, while receiving the money through intermediaries. He was detained while receiving the illicit benefit.
The suspect was charged with bribery combined with extortion.
The court imposed a preventive measure on him—detention with the possibility of posting bail in the amount of 998,000 hryvnias—and suspended him from his position.
He faces up to 10 years in prison with confiscation of property. The investigation is ongoing, and law enforcement officials are examining the possible involvement of other individuals.
Charges have been filed against top SBU officials who “protected” amber mining operations.
The deputy head of the SBU in Rivne Oblast received over $22,000 from a businessman through the same intermediary in exchange for ensuring unimpeded amber mining.
