Doctor and ex-deputy caught on bribes for disability in Odesa region

In Odesa region, law enforcement officers exposed the head of a therapeutic department and a former city council member suspected of extorting money for disability status. According to the investigation, they asked for a bribe from a man who had a confirmed serious illness and legal grounds for obtaining the status.

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

In Odesa region, law enforcement officers exposed another corruption scheme related to disability registration. The investigation focused on the head of the therapeutic department of a multidisciplinary hospital in Podil district and her friend, a former deputy of one of the city councils in the region.

According to the investigation, the doctor and her accomplice demanded USD 4,500 from the man for a positive decision on the establishment of group III disability.

As law enforcement officers found out, the applicant had serious health problems and tried to document his disability. His diagnoses included chronic kidney disease, heart disease, and hypertensive encephalopathy. Despite having the necessary medical documents, the man faced artificial obstacles during the procedure.

According to the investigation, the head of the department stated that she could influence the decision of the expert team that assesses a person's daily functioning and determines the grounds for establishing a disability. At the same time, the applicant was made to understand that without an "agreement" he might not get a positive result.

The intermediary in the scheme, according to law enforcement, was a friend of the doctor, a former member of the city council. It was she who coordinated the transfer of money and contacted the applicant.

Law enforcement officers detained the woman while she was receiving the money. Currently, the prosecutor's office has served the hospital director with a notice of suspicion of influence peddling and bribery committed by a group of people. The former MP was also served with a notice of suspicion of influence peddling.

Also, Gevorg Bznuni, director general of the Bereziv Central Hospital and a member of the city council, was found guilty of influence peddling for a 10,000 UAH bribe to declare a conscript unfit for military service.

Анна Бальчінос