Position: former head of the flight academy of the National Aviation University.
Sphere of corruption: education.
Region of corruption activity: Kropyvnytskyi.
Qualification: the actions are qualified under Part 3 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code.
Status: at large.
Case story: On September 3, 2021, in Kropyvnytskyi, officers of the Security Service of Ukraine detained the head of the Flight Academy of the National Aviation University, Oleksandr Chumak, and the head of the academy's Flight School. Yulia Tkach, a spokeswoman for the regional department of the Security Service of Ukraine, told Suspilny. According to her, the detainees demanded 20 thousand US dollars for concluding cooperation agreements with the academy.
According to Yulia Tkach, investigators established that money was demanded from the director of one of the Kropyvnytskyi firms for concluding cooperation agreements with the Flight Academy: "In case of refusal, he was threatened with "destroying" his business."
Security Service officers detained the middleman while he was receiving the entire bribe amount on his way out of Kropyvnytskyi. According to the spokeswoman, he was planning to go to Kyiv. The head of the academy was detained while he was on his way to meet the middleman.
The case will be investigated under the article "Acceptance of an offer, promise or receipt of an illegal benefit in a large amount by an official or by a group of persons in prior collusion." The sanction of the article is imprisonment for a term of five to ten years with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a term of up to three years, with confiscation of property.
On September 4, 2021, the then head of the flight school located in Kropyvnytskyi was sentenced to 60 days in custody with the right to post bail of 227 thousand hryvnias. During the court hearing on September 6, the suspect was unable to explain where the money in his car came from.
Why they ended up in the car, I can't say. I don't know what happened, they pulled me out of the car, put me on the ground. It lasted about five minutes, maybe longer. There were no prohibited items in the car
He was suspended from work that same day.
On September 4, Oleksandr Chumak was also to be placed in custody. However, he was released from custody in the courtroom of the then Leninsky District Court (now Podilsky). Judge Oleksiy Maidannikov argued that the notification of suspicion was illegal because a gross violation of the notification procedure had been committed.
On September 6, Oleksandr Chumak was suspended from his duties. The corresponding order was signed by the rector of the National Aviation University, Maksym Lutsky. On the same day, Oleksandr Chumak was again informed of the suspicion.
The man is suspected of bribery under Part 3 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code. The sanction of the article provides for imprisonment for a term of up to 10 years. The new suspicion was handed to Chumak in one of the hospitals in Kyiv, where he came from Kropyvnytskyi to allegedly "improve" his health.
According to the investigation, Chumak has powerful corruption connections in the region, which allowed him to "feel confident", even despite the announcement of suspicion by the SSU.
On September 9, the then head of the Kropyvnytskyi Flight Academy was sentenced to 60 days in custody. Bail was set at 568,000 hryvnias.
Currently, the former head of the flight academy is under a personal obligation as a preventive measure. As the prosecutor said, in 2021, during the trial, the former head of the flight academy, Oleksandr Chumak, was released on bail of 568 thousand hryvnias, and another suspect, the head of the flight school, was released on bail of 227 thousand hryvnias. The former head of the flight academy filed a petition to have the bail money collected as state revenue. The court ruled to transfer it to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The other defendant, who on December 1, during the hearing prohibited showing his face and giving his last name, must fulfill the duties assigned to him within the limits of bail. Both must appear when summoned to court or the investigator, not leave the city without permission, and not change their place of residence.
Individuals potentially involved in corruption schemes: the then head of the flight school, whose name is not disclosed in open data.
Assets: in his 2021 declaration, Chumak indicated that he has the right to use a residential building and a land plot in Kropyvnytskyi, and his wife owns an apartment in the same city.
In addition, Chumak indicated that he has the right to use a premium car, the LEXUS LS460.
Chumak's income for 2021 was 897,364 hryvnias.
He declared 70,000 hryvnias in cash, and his wife declared 600,000 hryvnias.
Persons who should have reacted: law enforcement agencies responded to Chumak's criminal activities in a timely manner, charging him with suspicion.
Scandals: Before the corruption scheme, he was not seen as a figure in other scandals.
Sources:
https://suspilne.media/kropyvnytskiy/160746-u-kropivnickomu-na-habari-vikrili-nacalnika-lotnoi/
https://suspilne.media/kropyvnytskiy/161641-kerivniku-kropivnickoi-lotnoi-akademii-ogolosili-novu/
https://public.nazk.gov.ua/documents/8c9f81b7-60fc-4432-82d5-32010d2cbd0b