Position: deputy of the Poltava City Council, deputy head of the city inspection for improvement.
Sphere of corrupt activity: administrative services.
Region of corruption activity: Poltava region.
Qualification: during the consideration of the case, Viktor Bulat's corruption article was mitigated from Part 3 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (accepting a bribe) to Part 2 of Article 369-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (abuse of influence).
Status: at large.
The plot of the case: while serving as the head of the laboratory of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, Viktor Bulat received a bribe of 10 thousand hryvnias from an entrepreneur for permission to open a sawmill. The incident occurred in 2016. At that time, Colonel of the Civil Defense Service Viktor Bulat held the position of head of the laboratory of the Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Poltava region.
A resident of the village of Derevky, Kotelevsky district, decided to open a woodworking business. Through a forester friend, he met with the head of the Kotelevsky district sector of the State Emergency Service. He introduced him to his godfather, Viktor Bulat, who was supposed to solve all the issues with the documents.
At the meeting, Bulat wrote "400" on a piece of paper. The man asked if it was in dollars or hryvnias. The man replied that it was in conventional units, at the then exchange rate - 10,000 UAH. The same day, the man wrote a statement to the military prosecutor's office. Preparations began for a special operation, within the framework of which the businessman was to hand over the noticed 10,000 hryvnias to the official. Bulat was detained directly at the SES department.
Viktor Bulat's lawyers tried to prove that their client was provoked. In their opinion, the man who applied for permits did not actually intend to open a business.
During the consideration of the case, Viktor Bulat's corruption article was mitigated from Part 3 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (accepting a bribe) to Part 2 of Article 369-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (abuse of influence).
After two years of investigation and trials, Viktor Bulat was acquitted in 2018. According to Vitaliy Mykytenko, judge of the Oktyabrsky District Court of Poltava, law enforcement officers incorrectly collected evidence, made mistakes, and some of the testimony looked dubious.
The Military Prosecutor's Office tried to appeal this decision in the Poltava Court of Appeal. Over time, the court removed the secrecy of some evidence. The judges concluded that the Military Prosecutor's Office did not violate procedural norms during the investigation and conducted a competent investigation. The fact of provocation of the crime was also not confirmed.
On December 18, 2024, the Court of Appeal found Bulat guilty of corruption and sentenced him to 3 years in prison. Since the case dragged on for a long time, the court immediately released Bulat from serving his sentence and lifted the seizure of his property.
Persons potentially involved in corruption schemes: in addition to Bulat, the former head of the Kotelevsky district sector of the State Emergency Service is also involved in the scheme, but his name is not available in open sources.
Assets: in the declaration for 2023, Viktor Bulat indicated that he owns five land plots, a residential building, and a garage (part of the real estate is jointly owned with the official's wife, Vira).
In addition, in 2020, Vira Bulat purchased a Subaru Forester car worth almost UAH 70,000 (as indicated in the declaration).
Viktor Bulat's income for the second year of the full-scale war was 758,009 UAH, while his wife's was only 59,426 UAH.
At the same time, Viktor Bulat declared $39,000 and €21,000 in cash; the official also indicated $25,000 as funds lent to third parties. His wife declared $17,000 in cash.
Persons who should have reacted: law enforcement agencies responded to the criminal activity in a timely manner, but for now he still has the opportunity to hold the position of deputy.
Scandals: Before the corruption scheme, he was not seen as a figure in other scandals.
Sources:
https://poltava.to/news/79366/
https://public.nazk.gov.ua/documents/784cbfd2-457e-443b-a7f2-e37ee12fcb6c