Case on trade in phytosanitary certificates in Odesa region sent to court

Employees of the State Bureau of Investigation have completed a pre-trial investigation against officials of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection who organized a scheme to extort exporters of the grain corridor.

According to the SBI press service, the indictment has been sent to court.

In early April 2024, SBI officers exposed and detained five employees of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection in Odesa and Zaporizhzhia regions who organized a corruption scheme to extort money for issuing phytosanitary certificates. The documents are required for the export of agricultural products, as well as for issuing inspection reports required for the export of barley and corn.

According to preliminary estimates, the detainees received more than USD 160 thousand per month. As a result, the two chief inspectors of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection in Odesa region are now charged with receiving an illegal demand on a particularly large scale (Article 368(3) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The sanction of the article provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

The investigation has separated the case against three other group members suspected of involvement in the fraud into a separate criminal proceeding.

Earlier, police investigators and military prosecutors sent to court the case of a serviceman from a naval unit accused of influence peddling.

The 47-year-old defendant promised his clients to organize unfitness for military service and exclusion from military registration for $900, and for UAH 3,000 he promised to issue blank summonses with the stamp and signatures of officials of the territorial center for recruitment and social support, citing his connections with the latter and the possibility of influencing them.