Employees of the State Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the Security Service of Ukraine, exposed two law enforcement officers from the Odesa region who systematically demanded bribes from small business owners. Under the threat of mobilizing their employees, entrepreneurs were forced to regularly pay a specified amount. This was reported by the DBR.
Since November 2024, the suspects demanded money every month, threatening to report to military enlistment offices employees who were not registered for military service, as well as threatening fines and the issuance of summons.
The average amount of «tribute» was approximately 9 thousand hryvnias from each entrepreneur and was determined individually. In total, from nearly 30 entrepreneurs, the law enforcement officers received about 220 thousand hryvnias per month, which they shared among themselves.
"On March 27, 2025, one of them was caught during the receipt of another bribe from several entrepreneurs totaling 42 thousand hryvnias. Both suspects were notified of suspicion under part 3 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (receiving improper benefits by a public official)" - the report states.
The sanction of the article provides for up to 10 years of imprisonment. The court has imposed preventive measures in the form of detention with an alternative bail of 1 million hryvnias each. A motion is being prepared for their removal from office. The procedural supervision is carried out by the Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office.
