Odesa Medical Center Directors Arrested for Selling Fake Mental Illness Certificates

Three heads of the regional mental health center were detained in Odesa region. They are suspected of selling fake medical certificates of serious mental illness to conscripts.

According to the SBU, these are the director general of the medical center and his two deputies.

For a monetary reward, which ranged from $10,000 to $20,000 per client, they provided conscripts with fake certificates of serious mental illness, which allowed them to pass the military medical commission without personal presence and avoid mobilization. Some of the "patients" were even registered as disabled for further travel abroad.

Law enforcement officers have documented more than 20 cases of such fraud.

Also, in one of the regional centers, an accountant of a city hospital was detained for selling fake certificates of disability group 2 to the wives of potential conscripts.

Separately, a resident of Odesa was detained for issuing fictitious disability certificates for parents of conscripts for the purpose of sending their sons abroad as "accompanying persons".

The defendants have already been notified of suspicion under a number of articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, in particular:

• ч. 1 of Art. 114-1 - obstruction of the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
• ч. 1 of Art. 366 - forgery in office;
• ч. 3 of Art. 332 - illegal transportation of persons across the state border;
• ч. 3 of Art. 368 - obtaining unlawful benefit;
• ч. 2 of Art. 369-2 - abuse of influence.

The offenders face up to 10 years in prison with confiscation of property. All detainees are under investigation, the issue of choosing a type of detention is being decided.

Investigators are currently identifying the full range of people who could have been involved in the large-scale scheme.

A doctor of a medical institution was detained in Odesa. She is suspected of receiving bribes for confirming disability.

Earlier, 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