The head of the Ternopil District Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center has been reported on suspicion of extorting a bribe from a businessman for a deferment from military service. According to the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), this case gained resonance after it became clear that the businessman had a legal right to a deferment.
An entrepreneur who is a full-time student at one of the educational institutions in the Carpathian region applied to the military commissar to obtain a certificate of deferment. However, the head of the territorial center informed the man that the certificate could only be issued for a bribe — in the form of coupons for one thousand liters of diesel fuel, the cost of which is approximately 1,500 US dollars.
The military commissar was detained after receiving fuel coupons. During the detention, law enforcement officers found and seized not only the coupons, but also 13 thousand US dollars and 73 thousand hryvnias in cash in his car. In addition, a search was conducted in the official's office, during which fuel cards for over a thousand liters of diesel fuel and gasoline were also found.
Legal consequences
The military commissar was notified of suspicion of receiving unlawful benefit under Part 3 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The sanction of this article provides for a penalty of imprisonment for a term of up to 10 years.
