Deputy director of a park in Mykolaiv region remains under suspicion of bribery

The deputy director of a national park in Mykolaiv region is suspected of extorting bribes from employees. The court left him under control, and investigators are continuing the investigation to bring all participants in the scheme to justice.

This is evidenced by the ruling of the Ingulsky District Court of Mykolaiv.

The judge considered the prosecutor's motion to extend the duties of the suspect in the corruption case involving the management of the Sviatoslav Biloberezhzhia National Nature Park.

According to the investigation, the former director of the park, his deputy and chief accountant organized a criminal scheme to extort undue benefits from their subordinates. Since 2022, the officials have been forcing employees to regularly pay more than 200% of their accrued bonuses, embezzling more than UAH 5 million in total.

Those who refused to pay were threatened with layoffs or reassignment. The latest case of extortion in the amount of UAH 340 thousand led to the detention of the suspects in December 2024.

The suspected deputy director, who participated in the scheme, had his duties extended, in particular, he was obliged to regularly report to the investigator, refrain from communicating with witnesses and suspects, and surrender his passport for traveling abroad. At the same time, he may be placed under a stricter preventive measure in case of violations.

The park's director was released from the pre-trial detention center in April 2025 after posting bail of more than UAH 600,000. The investigation is ongoing, and the defendants have been notified of suspicion under Part 3 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - obtaining an undue advantage by officials, which provides for up to 10 years in prison.

The court also recently suspended for two months the head of the psychiatric ward No. 7 of the Mykolaiv Regional Mental Health Center, who was suspected of bribery. According to investigators, he and other medical workers issued fictitious diagnoses of mental disorders in exchange for money to evade mobilization.

High-profile arrests of officials often do not result in real punishment. Instead of real prison terms, they receive minor fines or acquittals.

Анна Бальчінос