Odesa Court Sentences Man to 5 Years for Corruption in Mobilization Evasion Scheme

The Malynovskyi District Court considered the case of an Odesa resident who had connections to the MSEC and helped men of military age to obtain disability certificates for money, which further allowed them to avoid mobilization.

According to the case, a group of people, including doctors and employees of medical institutions, conspired to avoid mobilization by establishing or prolonging the relevant disability groups for illegal benefits.

As part of the criminal scheme, one of the participants contacted a doctor and passed on medical documentation related to persons seeking to avoid mobilization. For assistance in processing the documents, a monetary reward was provided for doctors and employees of medical and social expert commissions. At the same time, the persons who provided the money promised to ensure the extension of disability groups for the military, which in turn allowed them to avoid mobilization to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The group consisted of doctors and employees of the Consultative and Diagnostic Center No. 20 and the Odesa Regional Center for Medical and Social Expertise. As a result of their actions, several decisions were made to extend the disability groups for persons who could otherwise be mobilized.

The accused was caught red-handed: while transferring money to doctors. At the trial, the man pleaded guilty. The court decided to sentence him to five years in prison and a fine of 42 thousand hryvnias.

The verdict is not yet final. It can be appealed within 30 days of the decision being announced.

Recently, in Odesa, a neurologist at a private medical institution was caught taking bribes to "discharge" her from military service.

Earlier, the State Bureau of Investigation reported exposing an organized group of doctors who helped healthy men of military age obtain medical documents that allowed the medical and social expert commission to declare them unfit for service.

In early February, the head of the Odesa consultative polyclinic department of one of the institutes of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine was accused of corruption and served with a notice of suspicion.

Ірина Глухова