Position: Head of Malyn UTC, Rivne region.
Sphere of corruption: environmental management and ecology.
Region of corruption activity: Rivne region.
Qualification: the official's actions were qualified under Part 3 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (acceptance of an unlawful benefit by a civil servant).
Status: at large.
Case story: On January 3, 2025, law enforcement officers exposed the head of one of the communities in the Rivne district, who, in exchange for a bribe, allowed the felling of almost 800 pine trees. The official was detained after receiving a 40 thousand UAH reward.
According to the investigation, the head of the community allowed the felling of pine trees on communal land for a bribe. The official estimated his services at almost 40 thousand UAH, which he received in three installments. This led to the illegal felling of almost 800 pine trees.
As reported by the media, the person caught taking a bribe is the 49-year-old head of the Malynsk UTC Anatoliy Dimitrov. The official was born in the village of Malynsk, Bereznivskyi district, and by education is a teacher of history and practical psychology. For some time he was engaged in entrepreneurial activities until he was elected the head of the Malynsk village in 2010. Since then, until January 2, 2025, Anatoliy Dimitrov headed the community.
The entire process of transferring the illegal benefit was documented by law enforcement officers. On Thursday, January 2, after receiving the last tranche, the man was detained
The official has already been charged under Part 3 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (acceptance of unlawful benefit by a civil servant). The sanction of the article provides for 5 to 10 years of imprisonment with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions for three years, with confiscation of property.
Anatoliy Dimitrov returned to his duties as head of the Malyn community in the Rivne region on March 31. He was removed from his position due to the opening of criminal proceedings.
This was reported by the platform for working with open data Opendatabot. According to the information on the website, the institution recently changed its head - Anatoliy Dimitrov, who previously headed the Malyn Village Council, became the new head. Prior to this, since January 16, the village head's powers were temporarily held by Iryna Didenko.
Anatoliy Dimitrov confirmed this information to journalists. According to him, he was suspended from his post until March 28, and on March 31 he was reinstated. He noted that the suspension was related to the opening of criminal proceedings, but did not comment on the details. A pre-trial investigation is currently underway.
As village head, Anatoliy Dimitrov said he plans to support education, medicine, social protection, as well as veterans and the Armed Forces — financially, materially, and morally.
In January 2025, the prosecutor's office reported that the head of one of the territorial communities of the Rivne region was exposed for receiving illegal benefits. According to law enforcement officers, the official received a bribe for giving consent to the felling of approximately 800 pine trees. He valued his services at almost 40 thousand hryvnias.
Journalists asked Anatoly Dimitrov if this case specifically concerns him. He did not confirm the information.
On March 26, journalists contacted the Malyn Village Council for comment. They said they could not confirm the fact of receiving a bribe, as none of the employees saw it or were present.
Individuals potentially involved in corruption schemes: individuals who paid bribes for illegal felling of pine trees. However, their names are not publicly available.
Assets: The 2023 tax return states that Anatoliy Dimitrov owns a land plot and a residential building in Malynsk. In addition, his wife, Valentyna, owns another land plot.
In addition, the official's own vehicles include only one motorcycle. His wife declared a Mercedes-Benz B 200.
Anatoly Dimitrov's income for 2023 was UAH 425,749, and his wife's was UAH 108,292. At the same time, the spouses did not indicate any monetary assets.
Persons who should have reacted: law enforcement agencies responded in a timely manner to the criminal activities of the official, presenting him with a suspicion.
Scandals: Before the corruption scheme, he was not seen as a figure in other scandals.
Sources:
https://zaxid.net/golova_gromadi_na_rivnenshhini_za_habar_dozvoliv_virubati_800_sosen_n1601032
https://rivnepost.rv.ua/news/stalo-vidomo-kerivnik-yakoi-hromadi-za-khabar-dozvoliv-virubuvati-sosni
https://public.nazk.gov.ua/documents/09b72453-4081-4ded-bd73-471bb0fb9e56