The Zaliznychny District Court of Lviv found Volodymyr Patsula, deputy director of the Mostyske Military Forestry State Enterprise, guilty of attempting to bribe an officer of the SBU's military counterintelligence. The official offered the law enforcement officer regular bribes in exchange for non-interference and the closure of criminal proceedings regarding illegal logging.
According to the case materials, in September 2023, during a meeting with the SBU operational officer, Patsula offered a monthly illegal benefit in the amount of 20 thousand hryvnias — 10 thousand from each forestry site. In return, he expected "non-reaction" to the identified violations and avoidance of responsibility.
In court, the accused pleaded not guilty, explaining that he did not mean a bribe, but only wanted to find out what evidence was needed to close the case. He also claimed that the amounts he had mentioned referred to the number of violations, not money.
Judge Olesya Postrygach did not accept these arguments and established the fact of offering an unlawful benefit. Patsula was found guilty under Part 1 of Article 369 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and was fined 51 thousand hryvnias. In addition, he must compensate more than 32 thousand hryvnias for conducting examinations.
The verdict may be appealed in accordance with the established procedure.
