Elena Adamenko, a journalist with the Sumy-based publication Dankor, has sounded the alarm: Sumy Oblast Deputy Prosecutor Valentin Zherebkin urgently needs to be purged and held accountable for his actions. A detailed description of the prosecutor's cases was sent to Prosecutor General Vitaliy Yarema, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, and several prominent human rights activists. This couldn't have been overlooked by the Prosecutor's Truth, so we're listing the "services to the fatherland" of this hero in the prosecutor's uniform.
A native of the Sumy region, Valentin Dmitrievich Zherebkin was appointed Yarema in early July of this year. He has served in the prosecutor's office since 1998, and his previous position before his appointment was Sumy District Prosecutor.
On the day of his appointment, Zherebkin noted his gratitude to the Prosecutor General's Office leadership for the trust they placed in him. He would focus his work in his new position on ensuring law and order in the region. Indeed, he has much to be grateful for; otherwise, he would have ended up in the dock, but for now...
Smuggling is our everything
In 2012, Valentin Zherebkin, while serving as the Belopolsky District Prosecutor, exploited his position and influential connections, using his "magic" in tender procedures to help bankrupt the Belopolsky Machine-Building Plant. According to some Belopolsky residents, the prosecutor subsequently illegally acquired ownership of the enterprise, registering it in the name of one of his friends associated with a company called Lev-Group. Having thus acquired ownership of BMZ, Zherebkin, with the help of his close associates, dismantled the equipment, which was then sold for scrap metal.
The prosecutor subsequently decided to use BMZ's outbuildings as a staging area for storing contraband, which, under his protection, was smuggled across the state border into the Russian Federation. Local residents suspect that the official used the excess profits from the smuggling to purchase equipment for the production and packaging of cereals and pasta. These products were also allegedly smuggled into Russian stores without paying customs duties and fees.
There is also speculation that Zherebkin, using the former BMZ plant (which some believe he actually owns), has established the supply and subsequent sale of liquefied gas smuggled from Russia. Furthermore, Zherebkin is said to have also established the transportation of other contraband goods, using the plant's production facilities as storage and transshipment facilities. The smuggling of contraband across the state border is allegedly organized by a well-known smuggler, a resident of Belopolye nicknamed "Plashchov."
The earth is sacred
Regarding Zherebkin's holdings, during his time in the prosecutor's office, he registered 10 hectares of land in the recreational areas of the Sumy district to proxies. Apparently, the Sumy district is flush with cash, so haggling over a dozen or so hectares of suburban land is not practical. So, the land was essentially given away, leaving the district's public sector organizations high and dry.
In general, the Sumy Oblast Prosecutor's Office clearly has a soft spot for public land. If Vladimir Petrov, the regional prosecutor, asked the mayor for a 1,2-hectare plot, it's clear whose example his deputies will follow.
Following Zherebkin's, other prosecutors began to file petitions with the mayor's office seeking land for the construction of a residential building. They claimed that many young prosecutors were struggling without housing and that something needed to be done.
In connection with the above, Prosecutor's Truth has questions for the leadership of the Prosecutor General's Office:
— Is it true that Zherebkin paid his superiors $500 in bribes to secure his position as deputy prosecutor of the Sumy regional prosecutor, hoping he would quickly recoup the sum for protecting the lawlessness at customs?
Why on earth did prosecutors in Sumy Oblast decide they need more land than others? Maybe they should balance their land ambitions with the results of their efforts to counter land-related schemes?
— What other factories and enterprises in Sumy Oblast are in the same terrible condition as the Belopolsky Machine-Building Plant and are used as warehouses and transshipment bases for the needs of the businesses of people in uniform?
Prosecutor's Truth
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