Ex-Police Officer in Kharkiv Fined for $1,000 Bribe

A former Kharkiv police investigator has been found guilty of abuse of influence. Prosecutors have proven that the man asked for a bribe from an acquaintance's mother under the guise of helping her roommate, who was suspected of murder.

This is stated in the verdict of the Moscow Court of Kharkiv dated January 27.

According to the investigation, on March 4, 2021, in the Kharkiv region, a man attacked his son with a knife, after which the victim was hospitalized, and the attacker was suspected of attempted murder.

A police officer, who is an acquaintance of the suspect's son, offered his roommate $1,000 to "negotiate" with investigators so that the man would not be detained and the case would be closed.

The woman contacted law enforcement, and the policeman who offered her a bribe was detained while handing over the money.

The accused denied his guilt: at the hearing, he said that the money the woman gave him was not a bribe, but repayment of her son's debt.

He explained that he had known and been friends with the woman's son for about 10 years, with whom he studied at the same school and went to the same wrestling section. After the accused entered the educational institution, communication with his friend became much less frequent. (...) About a year before his detention, he met with a friend at the regional police station, who explained that he was being accused and needed a lawyer, but he did not have the money for it.

The policeman borrowed $1,000 from his girlfriend, which he kept in his office. They did not discuss the deadline for returning the money. The convict said that the woman wrote a statement against him to avoid returning the debt.

The woman said that after a conflict between her common-law husband and his son, she asked her son to call a police officer he knew. He said that her husband was suspected of attempted murder.

During the meeting, he stated that the situation was serious and that $1,500 was needed to release the man. The witness said she could only give $1,000, and the defendant agreed to collect it the next day.

The woman realized that she was being asked for money, so she told the SBI about the situation. The SBI employees gave her the money she had noticed.

When handing over the money, the witness asked if her husband would not be touched anymore, to which the accused said: "Don't worry, he will not be touched anymore."

The court also questioned other police officers, but their testimonies were not taken into account because, according to the investigation, the witnesses were trying to help the accused avoid punishment because they were his colleagues.

A police officer was fined 85,000 hryvnias for abuse of influence. The maximum term under the article is five years in prison.

It was previously reported that the SAPO will refer the case of developer Hlimbovsky to court.

We also wrote that NABU and SAPO completed the investigation into Pashynsky's case.