Former head of the Khmelnytskyi City Medical and Social Expert Commission (MSEK) and traumatologist Lyubomyr Zavyalets, convicted of corruption, decided to join the army.
Zavyalets served his sentence in the Khmelnytskyi detention center, where he expressed a desire to do military service under a contract. The management of the institution, taking into account his wishes, applied to the court for the application of parole. This became possible thanks to changes in the legislation adopted by the Verkhovna Rada in May 2024, which allowed convicts who voluntarily agree to serve to receive early release.
The court established that the former head of the MSEK meets the requirements for military service under the contract. He had more than three years left before reaching the maximum age for military service, he is fit in terms of health, has passed a professional and psychological screening and has a sufficient level of physical training.
The court granted the request of the pre-trial detention center management, and Zavyalets was released early and handed over to the National Guardsmen for further service in the military. If he had not mobilized, he would have remained in prison for another year and four months.
In addition, the court imposed on the released convict administrative supervision for a year, which will be carried out by the commander of the military unit. The applicant is obliged to observe the restrictions, including the ban on staying outside the location of the military unit without the permission of the commander.
It is worth noting that in April 2023, the Khmelnytskyi City and District Court found Zavyalts innocent in the bribery case. However, in December 2023, the Khmelnytskyi Court of Appeal overturned the acquittal and sentenced him to two years in prison for accepting a $1,100 bribe for assisting in the provision of disability.
After the appeal verdict, Zavyalets tried to get a postponement of his sentence due to a serious illness, but the court refused to grant this request.
