Police colonel from Kherson region upheld in office despite bribery charges

In Mykolaiv, the court did not remove from office the head of the personnel department of the Kherson police, who is accused of corruption. The prosecutor's office spoke of possible pressure on witnesses, but the court saw no evidence of influence.

This is evidenced by the ruling of the Zavodskyi District Court of Mykolaiv.

The judge considered the motion of the prosecutor of the Kherson Regional Prosecutor's Office to remove the head of the personnel department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Kherson region from office.

According to the court, the police colonel is accused of taking a bribe to influence the decisions of officials committed by a group of people by prior conspiracy.

The prosecutor requested that the official be suspended from duty for two months. According to the prosecution, the head of the police personnel unit's position could allow him to influence witnesses using his official position, psychological pressure or personal contacts.

However, during the court hearing, the defense emphasized that the prosecutor's office did not provide any evidence of witnesses' influence. The court also noted that the official continued to work during the entire time after the notification of suspicion, but no facts of pressure on the participants in the process were recorded.

In addition, the court noted that during the pre-trial investigation, the prosecutor's office did not file a similar motion at all, and no new circumstances had emerged that would justify the need for suspension. Also, the case file contains no evidence that the witnesses are subordinates of the accused or depend on his decisions.

As a result, the court concluded that the prosecution had failed to prove the existence of real risks to the trial. Therefore, the judge did not grant the prosecutor's motion to remove the official from office.

The Kherson Specialized Defense Prosecutor's Office of the Southern Region also sent an indictment to the court against a former chief of staff, deputy commander of a military unit, who is suspected of a corruption scheme involving "combat" payments.

Анна Бальчінос