Position: deputy of the Zhytomyr Regional Council.
Sphere of corruption: local government.
Region of corruption activity: Zhytomyr region.
Qualification: the actions are qualified under Part 4 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Status: under night house arrest.
The plot of the case: in April 2025, employees of the State Bureau of Investigation detained a sitting deputy of the Zhytomyr Regional Council in Kyiv while "hot-scoring".
The official tried to get $10,000 from a man who was seeking employment in a state institution for a competitive position. In March 2025, the defendant met with a potential "client" and offered assistance in finding a job. The deputy claimed that he had influential connections among high-ranking officials, law enforcement officers, and representatives of regulatory agencies. He asked for $10,000 for "resolving the issue"
On April 3, law enforcement officers detained the deputy while receiving the entire agreed amount.
He was informed of suspicion of committing a crime under Part 4 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – fraud committed by a group of persons in advance, under martial law, on a large scale. The sanction of the article provides for up to 8 years of imprisonment.
The court chose a preventive measure for the suspect in the form of night house arrest.
The press service of the Prosecutor General's Office informs that according to the investigation, the suspect established a mechanism to seize citizens' funds under the pretext of their official employment.
During January-April 2025, a deputy of the regional council fraudulently seized a citizen's funds in the amount of $10,000. For this money, he promised to resolve the issue of his alleged employment in a state body. Law enforcement officers detained the deputy of the regional council in accordance with Art. 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. He is currently being held in custody. In addition, the circumstances of the suspect's involvement in similar episodes of criminal activity are being verified, and the persons involved in committing such activity are being identified.
According to Zhytomyr.info, the detained deputy of the Zhytomyr Regional Council, Anatoliy Melashenko, who in 2020 was elected as a deputy from the People's Party of Ukraine and headed the faction of this party.
Persons potentially involved in corruption schemes: at this time, there are no known possible accomplices from open sources.
Assets: in his 2024 declaration, Anatoliy Melashenko indicated that he owns 7 land plots, a residential building, non-residential premises, and also rents two land plots. In contrast, his wife Natalia owns an apartment in Kyiv and a land plot.
For the same year, Melashenko's income was UAH 233,885, and his wife's - UAH 1,290,297. At the same time, the couple did not declare any monetary assets.
Persons who should have reacted: law enforcement agencies responded in a timely manner to the criminal activities of Anatoly Melashenko.
Scandals: Melashenko was not involved in any other scandals.
Sources:
https://www.zhitomir.info/news_227017.html
https://public.nazk.gov.ua/documents/00d86c38-d8b0-401c-88b1-1787a8ef6ba2