Ukrainian authorities have detained a regional deputy from Ternopil, in western Ukraine, on charges of receiving bribes to prevent troops from being sent to the war front, Ukrainian secret services announced on Wednesday.
The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) said in a statement that the deputy sheriff was caught red-handed when he received $6,000 from a soldier, who was also arrested.
The investigators also detained a businessman from the region who acted as an intermediary, according to the statement quoted by the Spanish news agency EFE.
The suspects, whose identities have not been released, face prison terms of up to eight years.
The operation is part of a campaign against corruption in recruitment centers.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fired all regional military recruiters on August 11 after an investigation revealed widespread corruption in these structures.
The Ukrainian prosecutor’s office had already announced on Tuesday that a search would be carried out in more than 200 military recruitment centers.
“Law enforcement has exposed large-scale corruption schemes in almost every region of the country”said the Public Prosecution Service.
Investigators suspect “the involvement of officials of military recruiting agencies, in charge of medical and social examinations”.
According to the investigation, in exchange for bribes, officials helped citizens obtain disability certificates or gain recognition as temporarily disabled.
“This allowed them to postpone or avoid military service,” the prosecution added.
Ukraine has been under martial law since it was invaded by Russia on February 24, 2022, as part of which a general mobilization of 18-60 year olds was declared.
The fight against corruption is one of the demands of the European Commission for Ukraine to become a member of the European Union (EU).
Since the beginning of the year, Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies have uncovered two high-profile cases.
In May, the president of the Supreme Court was arrested as part of a corruption case involving the equivalent of about €2.4 million.
In January, a case related to army supplies led to a series of layoffs from ministries, regions and the country’s justice system.
Ukraine formally applied for EU membership on 28 February 2022, four days after Russia invaded the country, and was granted candidate status in June.
Source: DN
