Employees of the State Bureau of Investigation detained the head of a city council in Dnipropetrovs’k region and the council secretary. They demanded a bribe of $30,000 from an entrepreneur who planned to build a dormitory for IDPs. This is stated on the SBI website.
The entrepreneur decided to renovate the premises of an unfinished school and equip it for internally displaced persons. An international humanitarian organization was to pay for the accommodation.
The officials demanded USD 30,000 to put the issue to a vote at the city council. In exchange for this money, they promised to influence the deputies to vote for a long-term lease of the premises without a special tender.
The officials were detained on April 9, 2024, while receiving the bribe. They were served a notice of suspicion of extortion and receipt of an unlawful benefit on a particularly large scale under Part 4 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The sanction of the article provides for imprisonment for up to 12 years with confiscation of property. A measure of restraint is to be chosen.
The full range of persons who may be involved in the crime is also being established.
“It is unacceptable for officials to demand bribes for the arrangement of temporary housing for internally displaced persons. It looks especially shameful at a time when the Government is negotiating international assistance to ensure the housing rights of IDPs. I am grateful to law enforcement officers for their work,” said Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.