Case against police inspector for bribery closed in Mykolaiv

The case against a former patrol policeman who tried to take a bribe has been closed in Mykolaiv. The court released him from criminal liability due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.

This is evidenced by the decision of the Zavodskyi District Court of Mykolaiv.

A case against a former patrol police inspector who tried to take a bribe has been closed in Mykolaiv. According to the investigation, in September 2019, the driver of one of the cars was stopped by patrol police because of a faulty headlight. At the time of the check, it turned out that his driver's license had been seized by a court decision.

During the conversation with the police, the driver admitted that he was intoxicated. The police said they would draw up a report for driving without a driver's license. The driver offered the police money to avoid drawing up a report and said that he had a friend in the police who could "solve the issue."

During the phone conversation, the police officer promised to help, actually undertaking to influence his colleagues so that the report would not be drawn up. Within a few days, the driver transferred the full amount of the bribe - UAH 5,000 - to the policeman's bank account. The police officer himself kept in touch with his colleagues who had stopped the car, inquired about the situation and arranged for the driver not to be searched.

The prosecution qualified the actions of the law enforcement officer under part one of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - acceptance of an unlawful benefit by an official. In October 2025, the defendant's defense counsel filed a motion for release from criminal liability due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.

The court ruled to grant the motion: more than five years had passed since the commission of the crime, which allows the person to be released from liability under Article 49 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The court also canceled the seizure of property imposed in 2019 and returned the bail of more than UAH 60 thousand posted during the case. In addition, all other material evidence and personal belongings seized during the arrest were returned to the owner.

In early October, a Mykolaiv court acquitted a serviceman accused of illegal possession of weapons and ammunition. During searches of his apartment and garages, law enforcement officers found explosives, grenades, assault rifles, and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

Анна Бальчінос