Mykolaiv region: military caught on bribe for avoiding trial

In Mykolaiv region, a court found a serviceman guilty of attempting to bribe a police officer to avoid punishment for driving under the influence. The accused cooperated with the investigation, entered into a plea deal and received a sentence.

This was reported by the Center for Public Investigations.

The investigation found that the military man, who worked as an excavator driver in an engineering unit, was caught driving under the influence in April 2024. To avoid administrative liability and referring the case to court, he tried to negotiate with the head of the patrol police unit.

At first, the man offered the law enforcement officer 10 thousand hryvnias in bribes to "resolve the issue." Later, he handed over USD 500 right in the police office. In exchange for this money, the police officer was to not send an administrative report to the court.

The transfer of the bribe was recorded by law enforcement officers. The military officer's actions were classified as bribery of an official. After being exposed, he pleaded guilty and began to cooperate with the investigation.

In June 2024, the accused, together with his defense counsel and the prosecutor, entered into a plea agreement. The man agreed to the circumstances of the case and accepted the agreed punishment. The judge concluded that the agreement met the requirements of the law and the public interest and approved it.

The soldier was fined UAH 34,000 and ordered to pay more than UAH 3,000 for the examination. In addition, the USD 500 that was used as a bribe was confiscated to the state. The mobile phone was returned to the owner, the seizure of the property was canceled, and the bail in the amount of over UAH 60 thousand was returned to the pledgor.

Also in April, a court in Mykolaiv found the former rector of Mykolaiv National University named after V.O. Sukhomlynskyi guilty of committing a traffic accident with grave consequences. This is Valeriy Budak, who in 2024, driving a Mazda CX-7, hit a 64-year-old woman on a pedestrian crossing.

Анна Бальчінос