At the request of Segodnya newspaper, Ukrainian security officials compiled a ranking of the largest bribes this year. Eight items were included, with the Ministry of Internal Affairs' Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (GUBOP) naming the heftiest at 4,756,000 hryvnias.
According to Irina Lemesheva, press secretary for the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, this sum was demanded by an official from the State Land Agency in the Mykolaiv region for the lease of a land plot of over 1 hectares. According to the investigation, which is still ongoing (as is the case in the cases described below), the official received 476 hryvnias. The fate of the remaining sum is under investigation.
The "silver medalists" in our ranking are a pair of judges from Cherkasy, suspected of receiving $46 (736 hryvnias). Immediately after the two judges were caught red-handed, it was discovered that one of them had already applied for lifetime judicial status (which grants almost complete immunity) and left to fight in the Donbas.
"It all started when a woman whose husband had died filed a lawsuit to be recognized as the heir to the property," Lemesheva said. "The judge handling the case immediately resorted to corrupt tactics. He accepted a $5 bribe, but when he learned the inheritance was large, he demanded $46."
According to the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, the accomplices received the bribe in installments, with the final "tranche" planned to be received on the day the court's decision was announced.
"The judges chose an unusual location for the money transfer—a gangster-themed restaurant. The suspects were detained, and a criminal case was opened," the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (GUBOP) reported.
Next on the list of mega-bribe-takers are an Odessa judge (he received UAH 570,000 for making an unlawful decision), another representative of the State Land Agency (UAH 684,000 for signing an order for the long-term lease of 398 hectares of land), and a village council deputy from the Kherson region (he demanded UAH 1,162,000, but received UAH 455,000 for the transfer of ownership of 600 square meters on the shore of the Sea of Azov).
The last three spots on the country's list of corrupt officials were shared between the deputy head of the State Agricultural Inspectorate, who received 357,000 hryvnias for issuing a permit for mineral extraction in the Kirovohrad region (according to investigators, he received 479,000 hryvnias); a former police chief, who received 479,000 hryvnias for protecting gambling operations; and a high-ranking official at the Ministry of Ecology, who is suspected of receiving the smallest bribe compared to others; according to investigators, the official received 182,000 hryvnias for issuing a license for the processing of hazardous waste.
Two traffic police officers from the "Cobra" special forces unit also recently became the antiheroes of prosecutorial reports. Investigators claim they received a record bribe for traffic police officers in recent times—43,3 hryvnias. According to the Kyiv prosecutor's office, the officers stopped a car and discovered the driver had forged vehicle documents. They confiscated his car and offered him a payment to avoid registering the violation.
If convicted of bribery in court, all of the above suspects face 5 to 10 years in prison, a ban on holding certain positions, and confiscation of property. However, most of the suspects deny demanding bribes, claiming that the money was planted on them by ill-wishers.
The number of petty bribes demanded by education officials across the country continues unabated. One recent case, for example, occurred in the Khmelnytskyi region: a kindergarten director deliberately informed parents of children that their names being on an online waiting list did not guarantee enrollment. She then agreed to accept applications only on the condition that she be paid (according to unofficial reports, she demanded a "ridiculous sum"—between $50 and $100). The director promised to donate the funds to the institution's charitable foundation. An indictment against her has already been filed.
Prosecutor's Truth
Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, Facebook , Twitter , VK - Only new faces from the SKLEP section!