Prosecutors of the Khmelnytskyi Regional Prosecutor's Office have reported suspicion against an official of the state enterprise "State Criminal Enforcement Service of Ukraine (No. 98)." He is accused of extortion and receiving unlawful benefits (Part 3 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

According to the investigation, the official of the state enterprise decided to monetize his official powers: he offered an entrepreneur "priority" in signing a contract for the performance of work by convicts held in the Shepetivka Correctional Colony (No. 98).

For this, he demanded 600,000 UAH.

Such a "deal" not only violated the law but also led to an artificial inflation of the prices of goods supplied to the public sector.

The first part of the funds — 150,000 UAH — was received by the official in September.

The second part — 405,000 UAH and 1,300 US dollars — had to be transferred by the entrepreneur on November 26. Immediately after this, the official was detained by law enforcement officers in accordance with Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine.

The suspect has been chosen a preventive measure in the form of detention.

The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the Territorial Administration of the State Bureau of Investigation in Khmelnytskyi.

Note: according to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and cannot be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt is proven in a lawful manner and established by a court verdict.