An unexpected change has occurred in the high-profile corruption case in the Odessa region: the former prosecutor of the Odessa region, Oleksandr Zhuchenko, has been removed from the investigation into the “Odessa case” of Odessa Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov. This news, which passed almost unnoticed by the general public, was confirmed by the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) in a statement dated August 2.
This did not change the qualification of the “OZG” in the NABU case against Trukhanov and Galanternyk. Because the minimum number of accomplices for the OZG (5 people) is recruited there even without Zhuchenko. But what exactly the SAPO/NABU are now accusing the ex-prosecutor of is not completely clear.
Previously, as part of the “Odessa case,” Zhuchenko was indicted for allegedly underestimating the value of a land plot, for the development of which the prosecutor's office employees received 48 apartments in already completed buildings of the developer company.
Most importantly. If the prosecutor of the Odessa region (at that time Zhuchenko) was “pulled out” of the “Trukhanov-Galanternyk” case, then we can assume that not all the accusations previously voiced against him were confirmed. Therefore, the removal of the prosecutor from the bracket can be considered a minimization of the risk of the collapse of the “Odessa case” as a whole.
That is, is it better to find one person innocent than to lose the entire chain of the NABU-drawn scheme leading to the mayor of Odessa?
We'll see. Trials for both Zhuchenko and the Trukhanov-Galanternyk case are expected in September.
