National Police detains deputy head of Ivano-Frankivsk TRC for taking bribe

National Police detains deputy head of Ivano-Frankivsk TRC for taking bribe

The Security Service of Ukraine and the National Police carried out a special operation to expose three officials of territorial recruitment centers who helped to avoid mobilization for money.

As a result of a joint operation of the Security Service of Ukraine and the National Police in the Carpathian region, a large-scale corruption scheme was discovered in the military commissariat system. Three high-ranking officials of the territorial recruitment and social support centers (TRC and SS) were detained on suspicion of receiving illegal benefits in exchange for assistance in evading mobilization.

This was reported by the Department of Strategic Investigations of the National Police of Ukraine and the SSU Directorate in Ivano-Frankivsk region.

According to the investigation, officials created a mechanism for issuing military registration documents with a barcode for identification in the Oberih system without the personal presence of military personnel.

The defendants received bribes for issuing documents with a barcode to military personnel who did not have a deferment. At the same time, the ’clients’ did not even have to come to the TRC to update their data," the SSU statement says.

The cost of such a service ranged from 500 to 1000 US dollars.

The investigation estimates that the number of people who could have used this scheme was significant. The SSU representative emphasized: "According to our data, the number of men who received a barcode for bribes and avoided mobilization in the Carpathian region could have been up to a hundred per month."

Detention and searches

Three officials were detained during the operation:

• Acting Deputy Head of the Regional TRC and SS

• Head of the Kalush District TRC and SS

• Deputy Commander of the Security Company of the Kalush RRC

According to the Department of Strategic Investigations of the National Police: "The amounts of undue benefit ranged from 2,000 hryvnia to 1,000 dollars, depending on the complexity of the issue."

All detainees have been notified of suspicion under Part 3 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Two of them have already been remanded in custody with the right to post bail. The article provides for a penalty of imprisonment for a term of 5 to 10 years with confiscation of property.

Investigative actions are ongoing. 18 searches were conducted, during which documentary materials, mobile phones and vehicles used to commit the crime were seized.

Comprehensive measures were carried out by SSU employees in Ivano-Frankivsk region together with the Investigative Department of the Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service and the Strategic Investigations Department of the National Police in Ivano-Frankivsk region.

Procedural guidance is provided by the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Defence of the Western Region.