Under the procedural guidance of the Specialized Prosecutor's Office in the Field of Defense of the Western Region and with the assistance of the Ministry of Defense, the fact of receiving an illegal benefit by the deputy head of one of the departments of the Ministry of Defense department was documented.
A lieutenant colonel of justice received $12,000 from an intermediary for illegally transporting a conscript across the state border of Ukraine. For an additional reward of over $4,500, he removed the "client" from the wanted list of the CCC and the Joint Venture and issued a fictitious deferment from mobilization due to caring for a close relative with a disability. This was supposed to create grounds for allegedly legal departure to the European Union.
Law enforcement officers documented the receipt of first 4.5 thousand dollars, and then 12 thousand. After the second tranche, the lieutenant colonel was detained under Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Other possible accomplices to the crime are currently being identified.
A report is being prepared for the serviceman on suspicion of organizing the illegal smuggling of persons across the state border of Ukraine (Part 3 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code) and a petition to the court to impose a preventive measure and suspend him from performing his official duties.
This case highlights the systemic risks of corruption in military structures and the importance of oversight of officials who have access to mobilization and border crossing processes. The investigation is ongoing.
