Position: Deputy Director of the Mostyske Military Forestry State Enterprise.
Sphere of corruption: natural resources.
Region of corruption activity: Lviv region.
Qualification: Part 1, Article 369 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Status: The court found Patsula guilty and fined him UAH 51,000. He must also pay over UAH 32,000 to the state for conducting the examinations.
Case plot: according to the case materials, in September 2023, the deputy director of the Mostyske Military Forestry State Enterprise, Volodymyr Patsula, during a meeting with the senior operational officer of the unit of the Military Counterintelligence Department of the SBU, proposed to give a monthly bribe of UAH 20,000 to a law enforcement officer (UAH 10,000 from each forestry section) for failing to take action to identify violations, failing to hold him accountable, and closing criminal proceedings regarding illegal logging of the forest in which investigative actions were being conducted.
In court, the accused pleaded not guilty. He stated that he had not offered any improper benefit, but only wanted to hear what evidence was needed to close the illegal logging case.
Volodymyr Patsula also stated that when he said the phrase "a dozen from one precinct, and a dozen from the other," he was not offering a bribe, but was referring to the number of violations committed by foresters in order to ensure the performance of military prosecutors.
Judge Olesya Postrygach found Volodymyr Patsula guilty of offering a bribe to an official (Part 1 of Article 369 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) and sentenced him to a fine of UAH 51,000. He must also pay over UAH 32,000 to the state revenue for conducting examinations. The verdict can still be appealed.
Persons potentially involved in corruption schemes: unknown.
Assets: in the declaration upon dismissal on 01.01.2025 - 01.01.2025 indicated a residential building and two land plots. He also declared a salary of 39,592 UAH and 50,000 UAH in cash.
Persons who should have reacted: law enforcement officers reacted in time, but judge Olesya Postrygach recognized Volodymyr Patsula and imposed a penalty on him - a fine of UAH 51,000. He must also pay over UAH 32,000 to the state revenue for conducting the examinations.
Scandals: There is no information in open sources about other scandals involving Patsula.
Sources:
https://public.nazk.gov.ua/documents/60df3d28-0f77-4eb4-9907-1f7c5a18f389