Position: Head of the Western Interregional Administration for the Execution of Criminal Punishments of the Ministry of Justice.
Sphere of corrupt activity: penitentiary system.
Region of corruption activity: Lviv, Volyn, Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Rivne, and Ternopil regions.
Qualification: Tymochko's actions were qualified under Art. 368 of the Criminal Code (acceptance of an offer, promise or receipt of an unlawful benefit by an official).
Status: out of custody.
The plot of the case: on September 19, 2024, the Security Service of Ukraine, together with the State Bureau of Investigation, detained Ihor Tymochka, the head of the Western Interregional Department for the Execution of Criminal Punishments, while accepting a bribe. According to the investigation, the official demanded bribes from entrepreneurs who worked on the territory of correctional institutions in the western region.
In particular, he established a corruption scheme with a company engaged in processing wood in one of the colonies. Tymochko delayed the signing of official contracts for economic work, and instead received payment in cash.
According to the SBU, he charged from 70 to 100 euros for each cubic meter of processed wood. In addition, for a bribe, he allowed entrepreneurs to use the labor of prisoners for the production of products for free.
Law enforcement officers documented several stages of the official's corrupt activities. He was arrested red-handed while receiving another bribe in the amount of more than 2,000 euros in one of the cafes in the center of Lviv.
Tymochka was informed of suspicion under Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (receiving an illegal benefit).
The court chose a preventive measure in the form of detention with the possibility of bail in the amount of 2 million hryvnias. He has already been dismissed from his post.
On September 23, bail was posted for Tymochka, after which he was released after spending four days in the pre-trial detention center.
Later it became known that the law enforcement officers suspect Tymochka of embezzling state funds. According to the investigation, Tymochko organized a business trip to Canada to participate in a seminar, but used this opportunity to obtain refugee status.
As stated in the case materials published in the court register, the Lychakiv District Court of Lviv granted investigators of the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) and Canadian law enforcement officers access to documents related to Tymochka's stay in Canada.
This includes information about his journey to the country, payment for the flight, participation in the seminar "Rights of Detainees and Support for Ethnocultural Offenders", as well as information on submitting documents for refugee status.
Law enforcement officers found out that 52-year-old Ihor Tymochko, taking advantage of a business trip to Ottawa, received refugee status, as well as a residence permit, employment and social assistance in Canada. The visit took place from March 27 to April 5, 2024, and the costs of the flight and accommodation were covered by the budget.
The investigation believes that Tymochko illegally used budget funds to cover his personal expenses, since the purpose of the trip was to obtain refugee status, and not to perform official duties.
Since the investigation does not have complete information about Tymochka's stay in Canada, the SBI plans to apply for international legal assistance, for which it is necessary to obtain the permission of the Ukrainian court. The judge granted the investigator's request, providing access to relevant information from Canadian authorities.
Persons who are potentially involved in the corruption scheme: in addition to Tymochko, the scheme also involves entrepreneurs who use the labor of prisoners for the production of products for free.
Wealth: in the declaration for the first year of the full-scale war, Ihor Tymochko indicated that he owned a large house in the Ivano-Frankivsk region.
In addition, the ex-official declared two units of hunting weapons.
Tymochko also indicated that he owns a KMZ Dnipro-11 motorcycle, while his wife Lesya has a BMW X5.
The total income of the spouses for 2022 was UAH 641,524.
Ihor Tymochko declared UAH 94,000 and $25,000 in cash. Instead, the ex-official's wife indicated 10,000 dollars and 7,000 euros in cash.
But in 2023, the spouse's income decreased slightly and amounted to UAH 943,287.
In cash, Ihor Tymochko declared 134,000 UAH and 25,000 dollars, and his wife - 7,000 euros.
Persons who should have responded to corruption schemes: law enforcement agencies responded in time to the criminal activities of Ihor Tymochko.
Scandals: previously Ihor Tymochko held the position of the head of the State Enterprise "Vyhodsk Forestry". According to the mass media, at one time the ex-director of the Vyhoda Forest Farm was accused of destroying one of the largest state-owned forestry enterprises in the region, illegally dismissing employees, lobbying the interests of private companies, and corruption.
The former manager, who during the Revolution of Dignity came under popular lustration and wrote an application for dismissal, later lost all courts, trying to regain his position as the head of the Vygoda Forestry.
Ihor Tymochko himself repeatedly stated that he was never a member of the Party of Regions, but only cooperated with the authorities, since he was in a public position
Sources:
https://zaxid.net/sbu_zatrimala_na_habari_golovnogo_tyuremnika_u_lvovi_n1594144
https://public.nazk.gov.ua/documents/01692621-0b03-4c00-8278-1390724b68f3
https://public.nazk.gov.ua/documents/09a84b6c-37a2-401e-862b-faca0618a3ef