Corruption Scandal: Village Head Arrested
The Odessa regional prosecutor's office has charged the head of a village council in the Bolgrad district with demanding and receiving an illegal benefit for influencing a decision by an authorized state or local government official (part 3, article 369-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
According to the investigation, the official demanded $12,000 from the head of a local business in exchange for facilitating the allocation of four agricultural land plots, each covering 50 hectares.
For this money, he promised to influence the village council deputies to pass a resolution on selling the rights to these plots to the business.
The village head was arrested after receiving a $3,000 advance. He has since been placed in custody with an option for bail and has been suspended from his position.
The measures to expose the illegal activity were carried out by prosecutors of the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor's Office of the Odessa Regional Prosecutor's Office, in cooperation with investigators of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Odessa Region, with operational support from the Investigative Support Department of the National Police of Ukraine.
Note: According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court ruling.
