A lawyer was detained in Odesa for promising to transfer a soldier after his military service

A lawyer promised a soldier who had gone AWOL that, in exchange for money, he would transfer him to another unit near Odesa and save him from prosecution. Law enforcement officers detained the lawyer.

This was reported by the Odesa Regional Prosecutor’s Office.

In May, a man who had left his military unit without permission (known as desertion) approached the lawyer. The lawyer had been recommended to him by acquaintances as a specialist in mobilization issues in Odesa.

For $3,300, the lawyer promised to transfer the soldier to another unit in Odesa or the surrounding region. That way, the man would not have to face criminal charges for desertion.

According to the investigation, the lawyer cited his connections among military unit officials. He also warned that if the man refused, he would be detained and face legal trouble.

The man handed over the first portion of the money to the lawyer in September. He paid the remaining $1,650 in October during a conversation in a car near a building on Lesya Ukrainka Avenue. After that, the lawyer was detained.

As the police clarified, during the investigation, the following items were seized from the suspect:

• cash;
• a cell phone;
• the car he was using.

The court placed a hold on all the seized property.

The attorney was notified of the suspicion that he had received an unlawful benefit for influencing an official’s decision, combined with extortion.

Simply put, this involves money in exchange for the promise to influence public officials. The actions were classified under Part 3 of Article 369-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. This article carries a sentence of three to eight years in prison with confiscation of property.

The court ordered the suspect to be held in custody with the right to post bail in the amount of 565,760 hryvnias.

Ірина Глухова