Odesa Region Official Detained Over Alleged $30,000 Land Bribe
A village council official in the Odessa region was detained on suspicion of extorting $30,000 for help in registering land as private property. The court chose a preventive measure for her - detention with the possibility of posting bail of over a million hryvnias.
According to the investigation, last year a local resident rented a communal land plot with an area of 0.0988 hectares for construction. Later, he decided to register it as private property. The head of one of the departments of the Odessa district village council, which deals with land issues, demanded $30,000 from the man for help.
The prosecutor's office added that the man planned to open a cafe on this site. In exchange for money, the official was supposed to bring the issue to the village council session in November 2026 and help obtain a positive decision.
As noted by the police, the woman assured that without her help the man would not be able to get the plot. He contacted law enforcement. The official was detained after receiving 30 thousand dollars. The money was seized as evidence.
The detainee was informed of the suspicion under Part 4 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which is punishable by up to 12 years of imprisonment with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a term of up to three years and confiscation of property. The court chose a preventive measure for the official - detention in custody with the possibility of posting bail in excess of 1.3 million hryvnias. Also, at the request of the prosecutor's office, she was removed from her position.
We also previously reported that the former head of a state-owned enterprise in Poltava region was reported on suspicion of abuse of office. According to the investigation, the enterprise may have received almost 2.7 million hryvnias less due to contracts he concluded.
We also wrote that two employees of the SBU of Transcarpathia are suspected of smuggling.
