In the Odessa region, executives of a municipal enterprise will stand trial for a scheme involving the extortion of septic tank cleaners

In the Odessa region, the director of a municipal utility and his deputy are set to stand trial on charges of extorting bribes from a businessman. According to investigators, the officials demanded regular kickbacks in exchange for the opportunity to provide sewage treatment services.

This was reported by the press service of the National Police in the Odessa region.

Law enforcement officials have completed a pre-trial investigation into the director of a municipal enterprise of one of the village councils in the Odesa district and his deputy, who are suspected of systematically extorting illegal benefits from a local entrepreneur. 

As established by law enforcement, there was an official contract in place between the entrepreneur, who is engaged in the removal and treatment of sewage, and the municipal enterprise regarding the acceptance of wastewater from sewage trucks.

PHOTO: od.npu.gov.ua

According to the investigation, the management of the municipal enterprise subsequently began demanding monthly payments from the businessman. The amount of the “kickbacks” depended on the entrepreneur’s income. He was required to regularly report his profits, officially transfer part of the funds to the company’s account, and hand over the rest to officials in cash.

The entrepreneur reported the illegal demands to law enforcement. After that, investigators documented the scheme and recorded the officials receiving bribes. The officials were detained after receiving 145,000 hryvnias over two months. The money was seized as physical evidence.

PHOTO: od.npu.gov.ua

During the investigation, the court suspended both officials from their posts and remanded them in custody with the possibility of bail. The penalty under the article provides for up to ten years of imprisonment with confiscation of property and a ban on holding certain positions.

Also in June, an investigation was completed in Odesa into a corruption scheme involving the procurement of uninterruptible power supplies for traffic lights. According to the investigation, the city budget lost over 20 million hryvnias due to artificially inflated prices and bid rigging.

Анна Бальчінос