Volyn ex-deputy head of SACI sentenced to 5 years in prison

Volyn ex-deputy head of SACI sentenced to 5 years in prison

Former deputy head of the State Architectural and Construction Inspectorate in the Volyn region, Serhiy Shemeiko, received five years in prison in a bribery case.

The Volyn Regional Prosecutor’s Office reports this.

In November 2016, the deputy head of the State Architectural and Construction Inspectorate in the Volyn region, Serhiy Shemeiko, who was then acting head, was detained in a bribery case. It was about receiving funds from developers for registering construction declarations and the absence of inspections during construction.

As the investigation established, an official of the Volyn State Automobile Inspectorate systematically received money from developers. Shemeiko did this through two intermediaries - entrepreneur Oleksandr Muzychuk and director of Alpha Universe LLC Mykhailo Hnatyuk.

“The Power of Truth” reported that in total at least 4.5 thousand dollars passed through the hands of the businessmen. Of these, $3,550 in bribes concerned the construction of a complex of eight stores in the village of Stara Vyzhivka on 48-G Nezavisimosti Street. In 2016, of the specified amount, $2.6 thousand was transferred to the deputy head of the SACI department, and the remaining intermediaries were divided among themselves. Another $1,000 was spent on the construction of an apartment building in the village of Tarasove near Lutsk. Of this amount, $500 was assigned to Shemeiko.

Thus, law enforcement officers established that Serhiy Shemeiko received more than three thousand dollars. Moreover, during searches of a safe rented by his family at a branch of the Volyn regional administration of Oschadbank JSC, 10,160 euros and 80,380 US dollars were found.

In November 2016, Muzychuk and Hnatyuk entered into a plea agreement and subsequently received a verdict from the Lutsk City District Court - fines of 25.5 thousand hryvnia. At the same time, in May 2018, the Court of Appeal of the Volyn Region overturned the verdict on Shemeiko’s appeal, since the existence of the agreement made him guilty too. After this, the case against Muzychuk and Hnatyuk was sent again to the court, which at the end of 2018 also awarded them a fine of 25.5 thousand hryvnia. In court they admitted their guilt.

Serhiy Shemeiko began to be tried separately in March 2017. He was accused of bribery (Part 3 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code), illegal enrichment (Part 2 of Article 368-2 of the Criminal Code) and false declaration (Article 366-1 of the Criminal Code). In 2021, the court rejected charges of illicit enrichment and false declarations, since at that time the articles of the Criminal Code that determined liability for this were declared unconstitutional.

According to the Volyn Regional Prosecutor’s Office, more than 90 thousand US dollars, more than 10 thousand euros and 61.5 thousand hryvnia, which were seized during the searches, will also be confiscated from him.