Five suspects in case on cover-up of 'porn office' network taken into custody with possibility of bail – PGO

A court has taken into custody five suspects in a case concerning the corrupt cover-up of a network of so-called "porn offices," with the possibility of bail. The lowest bail amount is UAH 1.164 million, and the highest is UAH 8 million, the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) has said.

"At the request of prosecutors from the Prosecutor General's Office, the court chose preventive measures for five participants in a corruption scheme related to covering up the activities of a network of so-called 'porn offices,'" the PGO said on Telegram on Thursday.

According to the investigation, police officials and persons close to them may have received unlawful benefits for ensuring the unhindered operation of premises where pornographic content was illegally created and distributed.

The court chose preventive measures for all five suspects in the form of detention with the possibility of bail.

In particular, bail was set at UAH 7 million for the head of the Main Department of the National Police in Ivano-Frankivsk region; UAH 5 million for the deputy head of the Main Department of the National Police in Ivano-Frankivsk region; UAH 5 million for the first deputy head of the investigative department of the Main Department of the National Police in Ternopil region; UAH 1.164 million for the deputy head of the Main Department of the National Police in Zhytomyr region; and UAH 8 million for the driver of the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.

During searches in this proceeding, law enforcement officers seized luxury cars, cash and other property. The total amount of seized funds is UAH 22.6 million.

The pretrial investigation is ongoing. Law enforcement officers are identifying the full circle of persons who may have been involved in the corrupt cover-up of illegal activities.

Earlier, the Prosecutor General and the SBU reported on Telegram that officials of regional police units in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil and Zhytomyr regions had been detained for "protecting" a scheme involving explicit content.

"A large-scale operation to cleanse the National Police system of corruption: a scheme to cover up 'porn offices' in three regions has been exposed," the PGO said on Telegram.

According to him, the investigation found that the leadership of territorial police units in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil and Zhytomyr regions may have ensured the unhindered operation of a network of so-called "porn offices."

The State Security Service of Ukraine said on Telegram that those detained included the head of the Main Department of the National Police in Ivano-Frankivsk region; the deputy head of the Main Department of the National Police in Ivano-Frankivsk region; the first deputy head of the Main Department of the National Police in Ternopil region; the deputy head of the Main Department of the National Police in Zhytomyr region; and a driver of the vehicle department of the state institution "Service Center for Units of the Interior Ministry," who acted as an intermediary courier.

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

According to the case materials, the suspects "protected" the activities of models on online platforms with explicit content. "For various amounts of unlawful benefit, the officials guaranteed their 'wards' that they would not be held accountable for illegal content," the SBU said.