Former head of Odesa utility company fined for bribery

A former official of an Odesa utility company was found to have extorted a bribe. The official promised to help with the lease of municipal property.

This was reported by Anti-Corruption Dimension.

The Prymorskyi District Court of Odesa has sentenced Oleksii Kurtzev, former acting director of the Tourist Information Center of Odesa, to death, finding him guilty of bribery. The official demanded money for assistance in renting a municipal building.

According to the investigation, in April 2021, a local resident approached the company, who wanted to rent a communal space for business development. After a phone conversation, Kurtzev invited the man to the office at 4 A Yevreyska Street. During the meeting, he said he could help with the lease, but in return demanded a "reward." At first, the official said the amount was $1,000, but later agreed to UAH 50,000.

On May 24 of the same year, the applicant handed him UAH 100,000 in his office - half as an official payment for the lease, the other half as a bribe for signing the contract quickly.

During the trial, Kurtzev pleaded guilty, repented and confirmed all the circumstances set out in the case. The court took into account that the man had no previous convictions, is raising a young daughter, and his wife is undergoing treatment for cancer. In view of this, the court decided not to impose an actual imprisonment and imposed a fine of UAH 68 thousand with a ban on holding senior positions in government for three years.

Back in the fall of 2021, the utility company was notified of suspicion under Part 3 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code. He was arrested and placed in a pre-trial detention center, but later Kurtzev posted a bail of UAH 79,500 and continued to work in his position. Only in November 2024 did the mayor of Odesa order his dismissal.

The former head of the Odesa regional tax office, Natalia Chebotareva, and her deputy, Volodymyr Mosiychuk, remained convicted of bribing a prosecutor. The HACC refused to conduct an examination of video and audio materials in the case.

Анна Бальчінос