Odesa regional judge's assistant exposed for extortion of bribe to close case

An assistant judge of a district court in Odesa region demanded a bribe from the accused for assistance in closing administrative proceedings.

According to the Odesa Region Prosecutor's Office, the suspect demanded UAH 41,000 from the accused to help close the case of repeated driving without a driver's license.

"The official assured that he had influence on the judge and could ensure that the necessary decision was made - to close the case due to the absence of an event and corpus delicti," the statement said.

The suspect was detained "red-handed" while receiving the bribe and handing over the decision to close the administrative case. Under the procedural supervision of the Suvorov District Prosecutor's Office in Odesa, the man was served a notice of suspicion of extortion and receipt of an unlawful benefit for influencing the decision-making of a person authorized to perform public functions. He was served with a notice of suspicion of extortion of undue bribes and was served a custodial sentence.

Earlier, the High Anti-Corruption Court imposed a pre-trial restraint on Valentyn Zaveriukha, a judge of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi City District Court of Odesa Oblast, with an alternative to bail. He is accused of involvement in schemes to evade conscription and smuggle conscripts abroad.

The head of a group of border control inspectors was also detained for bribery in Odesa region. The official was served a notice of suspicion of receiving an illegal benefit. According to the investigation, the chief organized a scheme to extort bribes from men of military age who sought to cross the state border of Ukraine with the Republic of Moldova without proper inspection. In exchange for USD 3,000, the border guard promised to ensure unimpeded border crossing.

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