Odesa resident detained on suspicion of extortion of $25 thousand from a military man

Police detained a 34-year-old resident of Odesa on suspicion of extorting and receiving $25,000 from a serviceman who was to undergo a military medical examination to determine his fitness for service after being wounded.

According to the Main Directorate of the National Police in Odesa region, the detainee offered the serviceman his assistance in speeding up bureaucratic procedures.

The offender demanded $25,000 for influencing members of the military medical commission and not creating artificial obstacles for the soldier. In case of refusal to provide the money and an attempt to pass the MLC on his own, he threatened the man that he would not receive the commission's decision at all.

The offender was detained when he came to the appointment and received the agreed amount of money. The money was seized from him, and he was notified of suspicion of obtaining an unlawful benefit for himself for influencing the decision-making of a person authorized to perform state functions, combined with extortion of such benefit (Part 3 of Article 369-2 of the Criminal Code).

Photo: National Police in Odesa region

The court imposed on the suspect a pre-trial restraint in the form of detention with the right to be released on bail in the amount of UAH 1 million 59.8 thousand. The offender may face up to eight years in prison with confiscation of property.

In November, the anti-corruption commissioner of one of the region's state-owned enterprises was detained in Odesa region. Together with an accomplice, he was extorting a bribe from a man liable for military service. The anti-corruption officer and his accomplice offered the man to "resolve the issue" of exemption from military service in the Armed Forces. For their "services," they asked for $17,000, with $7,000 received as the first tranche.

The SBU also detained the former deputy head of the state port and a current employee of the institution who sold fake disability certificates to persons liable for military service. The criminals used their friends, doctors from the local medical examination center, to produce the fake certificates.

Recently, SBU and police officers detained the head of a village council in Odesa region on suspicion of extortion and bribery. In exchange for UAH 50,000, the official promised not to initiate court proceedings to recover the rent arrears for the use of the land plot on which the company's facilities are located.

Кирило Бойко