A loud scandal broke out in the Dnipropetrovsk region: a local deputy was charged with kidnapping a serviceman and extorting a huge amount of money. According to the Office of the Attorney General, the crime relates to a conflict over business in solar power plants purchased back in 2021.
In 2021, the suspected deputy decided to join the activities of an entrepreneur from Dnipro who was engaged in the construction of solar power plants. He purchased the equipment, but did not arrange it properly and probably did not get the expected profit. This led to accusations against the businessman, who was later mobilized into the ranks of the Armed Forces.
Starting in 2022, the suspect repeatedly called the mobilized businessman with a demand to return the money. During this time, the amount of "debt" constantly changed, until at the end of October 2024, extortion reached a critical point.
In the last days of October 2024, on the highway near the village of Spaske, the deputy together with his accomplices blocked a serviceman's car. Threatening with physical violence, they demanded $2.5 million and re-registration of the firm in their favor. After the victim refused, he was beaten for 40 minutes, and later forcibly taken to a building, where he was held for almost a day, threatened with torture and murder.
After another death threat during a personal meeting, the deputy was detained by law enforcement officers. Currently, a preventive measure has been chosen for him in the form of detention with the possibility of making a bail in the amount of 1.2 million hryvnias. The prosecutor, not agreeing with this decision of the court, filed an appeal, demanding a harsher punishment.
Law enforcement officers continue the investigation and identify other persons who may have been involved in this crime. The Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol coordinates procedural actions to bring the case to court.
The suspect faces serious punishment under Part 2 of Article 146 and Part 4 of Article 189 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — illegal deprivation of liberty and extortion accompanied by violence and torture. The maximum penalty for such crimes is up to 15 years in prison.
