Bribery case on Odesa coast sent to court

Prosecutors of the Chornomorsk District Prosecutor's Office have sent to court an indictment against an employee of the Odesa Coast utility company of the Odesa City Council accused of corruption.

This was reported by the press service of the Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office.

According to the investigation, in July of this year, the official was exposed for receiving undue benefits for unimpeded obtaining permits and concluding contracts for business activities on the city's beaches.

The man acted as an intermediary between entrepreneurs and the Department of Consumer Market Development and Consumer Protection of the City Council. He was looking for people interested in obtaining the relevant documents.

The employee of the utility company offered to prepare project documentation for the location of trade facilities and submit it to the Department for approval through the ASC. After the expected official refusal, he promised to help resolve the issue in a positive way for USD 2.7 thousand.

The official was detained while receiving an undue benefit from a local businessman for facilitating the placement of a retail outlet on Vidrada Beach.

The official's actions are classified as aiding and abetting in obtaining an undue advantage by a group of persons by prior conspiracy. If proven guilty, the accused faces imprisonment for a term of five to ten years with disqualification to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to three years, with confiscation of property.

Earlier, the head of a department of the Peresypskyi District Administration of the Odesa City Council was detained in Odesa on suspicion of allowing trade on one of the city's beaches in exchange for a USD 1,500 bribe. The suspect demanded money from a citizen for assistance in granting a permit to set up a retail outlet on Luzanivka beach in Odesa. In case of refusal, the official threatened to refuse to allow the retailer to locate there.

Кирило Бойко