07 January 2025
(Photo: National Police in Odesa region)
Law enforcement officers have served a commander of a military unit in Odesa with a notice of suspicion of extortion of bribes from his subordinates, namely up to 30% of payments for performing combat missions.
This was reported by the press service of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Odesa Oblast.
Law enforcement officials said that the leader demanded 30% of additional cash payments from his subordinates for performing combat missions, allegedly motivated by the needs of the military unit, in particular for the repair of equipment. For those who refused to pay, the official threatened to create artificial obstacles in the service in the form of identifying imaginary shortcomings in the work, unjustified transfers to other units, combat zones.
"In this way, from June to December last year, the commander received more than UAH 400 thousand from the personnel. He was detained while receiving a "tribute" for December in the amount of 41 thousand hryvnias. Investigators conducted authorized searches in the suspect's car and at his place of residence. As material evidence, investigators seized the last illegal extortion, mobile phones and bank cards of the offender," said Valentyna Horoshko, head of the department for investigating crimes in the field of economic and official activities of the investigation department of the Odesa District Police Department No. 1.
If his guilt is proven, the serviceman faces 10 years in prison with confiscation of property. The court imposed on him a measure of restraint in the form of detention with the right to be released on bail.
Earlier, an official of the State Enforcement Service of Odesa was accused of extortion for lifting the arrest of an alimony debtor. The official was served a notice of suspicion. When the man turned to the official for an explanation, he used the situation to his advantage, asking for UAH 50,000 for a "quick solution to the issue."
Кирило Бойко