SBI detains official who demanded bribe from foreign company in Odesa region

In Odesa, employees of the State Bureau of Investigations, in cooperation with the National Police, have exposed the deputy head of the Department for the Management of Activities in the Southern Region of the Department of Execution of Criminal Penalties for demanding money in exchange for the possibility of attracting foreign investments. This information was reported by the State Bureau of Investigations.

Citizens of Israel, who wished to invest in Ukraine despite the ongoing conflict, approached the agency responsible for executing penalties regarding the implementation of a business plan involving the installation of solar panels on the buildings and structures of one of the correctional facilities in Odesa to create a solar power station.

However, the official, after allowing representatives of the investors onto the institution's premises, signing the relevant contract, and commencing work, demanded a bribe as an "entrance fee."

Law enforcement authorities documented the demand and receipt of $7,000 USD by the official, only after which he provided instructions for signing the contract and beginning the delivery of materials for the project.

During searches conducted at the location of the structural unit of the Department of Execution of Criminal Penalties and the residences of its leadership, over $100,000 USD and 6,800 euros were found and seized. Among these funds, which according to the official's wife were their personal savings, $1,700 USD were identified as previously received as an unlawful benefit.

The official of the State Criminal Executive Service of Ukraine has been notified of the suspicion of receiving an unlawful benefit