An official in Odesa served a suspended sentence for accepting a bribe of thousands of dollars

The Primorsky District Court of Odesa approved a plea agreement between the prosecutor and Serhiy Melnyk, head of the Department for Consumer Protection and Control of Regulated Prices at the Main Directorate of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection in the Odesa region, under which the official admitted to accepting a bribe.

According to the court’s ruling, the agreement stipulated that the official would plead guilty, and in exchange for a one-year probationary sentence—instead of six years of imprisonment with a one-year ban on holding public office or engaging in other public service activities, and without confiscation of property—he was sentenced to one year of probation. 

According to the case file, in January 2022, the defendant visited a retail pavilion selling food products and related goods—such as hookah tobacco and hookah accessories, coffee, and other items. He went there in response to reports of violations of trade and services laws, consumer protection laws, and regulations governing trade and the provision of services.

The official told the business owner that he was willing to allow the store to remain open if the owner paid him a bribe of $1,000. The owner agreed, but immediately after handing over the bribe, Serhiy Melnyk was detained by law enforcement officers.

Кирило Бойко