In Odesa, law enforcement officers detained a district council deputy who extorted $20,000 from an entrepreneur for solving a “land issue”. This was reported by with reference to the National Police.
The police found that a deputy of one of the regional district councils promised to help with the allocation of a land plot with the possibility of further development and privatisation. He was supposed to solve this issue by influencing other deputies. the “price of the issue” was $20,000.
TheProsecutor General’s Office clarifies that the official demanded a bribe from a private entrepreneur for the unimpeded lease of two 4 hectare plots of land near the village of Molodizhne, Odesa district, with the right to privatise them. The land was to be used for the construction of a vehicle maintenance complex.
on 9 February, police detained the deputy in a restaurant in Odesa while he was receiving half of the $10,000 bribe.
Based on the evidence, the defendant was served a notice of suspicion under Part 3 of Article 369-2 (abuse of influence) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The court partially granted the investigators’ request to impose a custodial measure of restraint on the suspect, allowing an alternative – bail in the amount of UAH 4 million three thousand.