The Security Service of Ukraine eliminated a large-scale corruption scheme in the State Service for Emergency Situations. The criminal activity consisted in systematically receiving illegal rewards (bribes) from entrepreneurs for approval of permit documentation.
The participants in the criminal scheme are officials of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and heads of its regional divisions, including the administrations in Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad, Rivne, Lviv, Chernihiv, Volyn, Chernivtsi, Khmelnytskyi, and Zaporizhzhia regions, as well as officials of other state institutions involved private individuals.
According to the SBU, officials of the State Emergency Service demanded bribes from the managers of large shopping centers and companies for the accelerated approval of the permit documentation necessary for conducting business activities.
First of all, the "scheme" concerned the approval of plans for the localization and liquidation of emergency situations and accidents at potentially dangerous facilities, in particular in large shopping centers, gas stations and other facilities.
Due to the received bribe, the officials of the State Emergency Service did not carry out an actual inspection of fire safety in public places, some of which turned out to be unable to provide civil protection of citizens at the time of emergency situations. In particular, during the liquidation of the consequences of Russian shelling. Thus, they endangered the life and health of Ukrainian citizens.
The monthly "profits" of the perpetrators from the criminal "scheme" they organized amounted to more than UAH 10 million.
As a result of more than 50 simultaneous searches throughout Ukraine, dozens of State Emergency Service officials were exposed who took bribes for the fictitious approval of fire safety permits for public buildings and structures.
As a result of these actions, additional evidence was obtained about the activities of the criminal group. In particular, information about other participants and the distribution of the received illegal reward between them.
So far, the investigators of the Security Service have notified the first 6 persons of the criminal group of suspicion under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
▪️ Part 3 of Article 368 (acceptance of an offer, promise or receipt of an unlawful benefit by an official);
▪️ Part 3 Art. 369 (offer, promise or provision of undue benefit to an official).
Currently, the pre-trial investigation is ongoing. All members of the criminal group will be held criminally liable.
Measures to expose and block offenses were carried out by SBU employees under the procedural guidance of the Prosecutor General's Office.
