SBU detains regional branch head of party involved in illegal schemes in Kharkiv region
he State Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Prosecutor General’s Office have liquidated a large-scale illegal scheme in the Kharkiv region organized by the head of a branch of a major state enterprise and the leader of a local branch of a well-known political party.
As reported by the SBU press service, the politician acted together with the head of a regional office of the state enterprise Forests of Ukraine, his subordinate, and a middleman.
"As established by the investigation, the participants of the ‘scheme’ took bribes from entrepreneurs who won exchange auctions for the purchase of industrial timber from the state forestry. In exchange for illegal benefits, the suspects sold businessmen elite grades of raw timber instead of the lumber provided for under the terms of the open auctions," a report on the Telegram channel says.
Law enforcement officers documented the suspects demanding UAH 1.3 million from an entrepreneur for the shipment of almost two hundred cubic meters of valuable timber species.
"To hide the crime, officials of the state forestry entered false information into reporting documentation. SBU officers detained all the organizers of the deal ‘red-handed’ after the transfer of the final part of the bribe. During searches of the detainees, mobile phones and documents with evidence of illegal activity were found," the SBU noted.
Currently, investigators have notified the detainees of suspicion under Part 5 of Article 191 (appropriation, waste of property or possession of it by abuse of official position) and Part 3 of Article 368 (acceptance of an offer, promise or receipt of an illegal benefit by an official) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The perpetrators are in custody and face up to twelve years in prison with confiscation of property.