In Chernivtsi, a former prosecutor was convicted of accepting a bribe
Maksym Maksymiuk, a former prosecutor with the Chernivtsi District Prosecutor’s Office, entered into a plea agreement in a case involving extortion and the acceptance of a bribe. For accepting $3,000 from a lawyer, the former prosecutor was sentenced to 7 years of imprisonment with a probationary period and a fine of over 2 million hryvnias.
According to the court’s verdict dated August 21, in 2017, Maksym Maksymiuk was the lead prosecutor in a criminal case involving the illegal acquisition, possession, and sale of cannabis.
The case was heard in the Novoselytsia District Court.
In December 2021, Maksymiuk approached the defendant’s attorney and asked him to pass on a bribe.
According to the court, in June 2022, the attorney handed over $3,000 to the prosecutor. In exchange for this money, Maksymiuk was to agree to a plea bargain with the defendant and help secure a lighter sentence for him than that provided by law.
The former prosecutor immediately exchanged the funds he received for euros and hryvnias at a currency exchange office.
After approximately three years of court proceedings, Maksym Maksymyuk entered into a plea agreement and agreed to transfer 500,000 hryvnias to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The court approved the agreed-upon sentence:
- 7 years of imprisonment;
- suspension of the sentence with a 3-year probation period;
- a fine of 2 million 40 thousand hryvnias;
- 500,000 hryvnias to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Thus, the former prosecutor effectively avoided actual imprisonment by agreeing to a probationary period, a fine, and an additional contribution to support the Ukrainian military.
The court’s verdict is not yet final—it may be appealed.
Earlier, the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court upheld the verdict against O. Galchenko-Avilov, the former head of a department at the Office of the Prosecutor General, and his accomplice, I. Osipovich. One of them will serve 6 years and 6 months behind bars, while the other will serve 6 years. The case involves $100,000 that was demanded in exchange for the return of four luxury cars and the dismissal of criminal proceedings.
Previously, the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Territorial Coordination Center and Joint Operations Unit was suspended from his position following allegations that he extorted and received $15,000 in illicit benefits.
In Odesa, veterans and people with war-related disabilities detained a representative of the Tax and Customs Committee following a conflict during which he used force against a child.
