Chairman of the Dymer territorial community in Kyiv region, Volodymyr Pidkurhanny, has been detained on bribery charges.
That's according to a law enforcement source.
SBU Security Service operaives have recently documented the perpetrator's corruption-related activity, committed in conspiracy with a member of a local district council, as well as an intermediary.
Read alsoU.S. Secretary Blinken: Corruption eats away at Ukraine's democracy from the insideThe group are believed to have been extorting a UAH 2.68 million (US$96.681) bribe from a private entrepreneur.
The investigation established the said officials fraudulently obtained a 1.5 ha landplot and attempted to transfer it to the individual entrepreneur for a bribe.
After properly documenting in a sting operation the receipt by culprits of a UAH 280,000 (US$10,101) in advance payment, law enforcers moved to arrest the group members upon receiving the rest of the funds, UAH 800,000 (US$28,860).
Criminal proceedings have been initiated under Part 3 of Article 368 (receiving a bribe in especially gross amount by an authorized official) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
UNIAN memo
Pidkurhanny earlier served as a judge at the Vyshgorodsky district court before being fired in 2018 for committing a significant disciplinary offense, namely falsifying cases against participants in the Revolution of Dignity.
In the local election last year, Pidkurhanny ran and won the election for the head of the Dymer territorial community from the Servant of the People party.