Corruption Scandal in the Bolgrad Region
The Odessa Regional Prosecutor's Office has announced charges against the head of one of the village councils in the Bolgrad region for receiving and demanding illegal benefits for influencing decisions made by individuals authorized to perform state or local government functions (Part 3 Art. 369-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
According to the investigation, the official demanded 12,000 USD from the head of a local enterprise in exchange for assistance in allocating four agricultural land plots, each covering an area of 50 hectares.
For this money, he promised to influence the village council deputies to approve the sale of rights to these plots, followed by their transfer for use by the enterprise.
The village head was detained after receiving an advance payment of 3,000 USD. He has now been placed in custody with the option of posting bail and has been suspended from his position.
Measures to expose illegal activities were conducted by prosecutors of the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor's Office of the Odessa Regional Prosecutor's Office in conjunction with investigators from the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Odessa region, with operational support from the Criminal Investigation Department of the National Police of Ukraine.
Note: According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and cannot be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt is proven in a lawful manner and established by a court verdict.
