Jan. 30, 2026, 9:15 a.m.
(PHOTO: National Police in Odesa region)
Police detained the chief specialist of the Department for Control and Monitoring of the Territory of the Peresypsk District Administration in Odesa on suspicion of extortion and bribery.
This was reported by the press service of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Odesa Oblast.
According to the investigation, the 44-year-old official received an appeal from a public organization regarding a couple who allegedly illegally built a car maintenance complex on an illegally occupied land plot. Instead of conducting an inspection, the civil servant met with a representative of the entrepreneurs and demanded a monetary reward.
In exchange for $1,000, he promised not to check the entrepreneurs' activities, regardless of any violations, not to draw up administrative materials and not to take measures to dismantle the service station. And in case of refusal to provide the money, he threatened negative consequences for the business.
The police detained the employee in his car after he received the bribe and notified him of suspicion of bribery. The issue of choosing a preventive measure is currently being decided.
If proven guilty, the man faces imprisonment for a term of five to ten years with disqualification to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to three years, with confiscation of property.
Also in Odesa, law enforcement officers detained a woman on suspicion of trafficking in Ukrainian orphans and children deprived of parental care. According to the investigation, she organized a scheme whereby minors were transported to the United States for adoption for money.
And the State Bureau of Investigation exposed a group in the Odesa region that was trying to illegally smuggle conscripts abroad. The group involved a former official of the district military administration and two military personnel.
Кирило Бойко