National Police on exposure of officials' unlawful activity: we will continue to assist in objective investigation of everyone who broke the law

The National Police of Ukraine says it has assisted and will continue to assist in an objective and impartial investigation of everyone who has broken the law, regardless of position or rank.

The National Police noted on its Telegram channel on Wednesday that the exposure of unlawful activity by officials of certain regional police units by the SBU and the Office of the Prosecutor General took place with the assistance of the interior minister of Ukraine, the head of the National Police of Ukraine and the National Police Internal Security Department.

"The National Police of Ukraine stresses: purging the system of dishonest employees is an unconditional priority. The police will continue to assist in an objective and impartial investigation of everyone who has broken the law, regardless of position or rank," the statement said.

Earlier, Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko and the SBU reported on their Telegram channels the detention of officials of regional police units in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil and Zhytomyr regions for covering an explicit content scheme.

"A large-scale operation to purge the National Police system of corruption: a scheme to cover ‘porn offices’ in three regions has been exposed," the prosecutor general wrote on his Telegram channel on Wednesday.

He said: "According to the investigation, the leadership of territorial police units in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil and Zhytomyr regions may have been ensuring the unobstructed operation of a network of so-called ‘porn offices’."

The SBU said on its Telegram channel that those detained include: the head of the main directorate of the National Police in Ivano-Frankivsk region; the deputy head of the main directorate of the National Police in Ivano-Frankivsk region; the first deputy head of the main directorate of the National Police in Ternopil region; the deputy head of the main directorate of the National Police in Zhytomyr region; and a driver of the MIA unit service center who acted as an intermediary courier.

"The Security Service of Ukraine and the Office of the Prosecutor General, with the assistance of the Interior Minister and the National Police Internal Security Department, exposed officials of regional police directorates in illegal schemes," the SBU said.

According to the case materials, the suspects were engaged in covering the activities of models on explicit content internet platforms. "For various sums of unlawful benefit, the officials guaranteed their ‘clients’ immunity from prosecution for unlawful content," the SBU specified.

During searches, evidence of illegal activity and funds allegedly obtained through criminal means were seized.

The suspects have been served notices of suspicion under article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (acceptance of an offer, promise or receipt of unlawful benefit by an official).