In Odessa, a businessman was tortured and extorted for a million dollars

In Odesa, a court found three men guilty of kidnapping a businessman and extorting one million dollars from him. 

This is stated in the verdict of the Kyiv District Court of Odessa.

According to the case file, in October 2015, an organized group attacked an Odessa businessman near his home. The victim was forcibly dragged into a car, had a balaclava pulled over his head, and was taken to a garage on General Petrov Street. There, the man was held in a basement and beaten for several hours.

During the attack, the men took a bag containing 6,000 U.S. dollars and 100,000 hryvnias from the victim. The attackers initially demanded 1 million U.S. dollars from the businessman but later reduced the ransom to 50,000. They threatened to kill him and his family. After the victim’s brother handed over 30,000 dollars, the man was taken to a field and released. 

Investigators determined that all of the defendants’ actions were carefully planned and that their roles were clearly defined.

They were sentenced to eight years in prison with forfeiture of property. The court also partially granted the victim’s civil claim. The convicted men were ordered to pay 1,073,800 hryvnias in property damages and 200,000 hryvnias each in moral damages. In addition, they were ordered to cover the costs of the forensic examinations.

Earlier, two Odessa residents were sentenced for attacking a police car. The court sentenced them to three years each of restricted freedom with a one-year probationary period.

Юлія Калабайда