The Security Service of Ukraine has detained one of the deputy chairs of the Odesa Regional Council, who, along with his accomplices, is suspected of extorting 50,000 U.S. dollars from a local businessman in exchange for permission to build a cottage community.
According to Ukrinform, the SSU reported this.
“According to the case file, in exchange for this money, the official promised the businessman unimpeded processing of permits for the construction of a cottage community near the port city. If the businessman refused to pay, the developer was threatened with deliberate delays in preparing the documents,” the statement reads.
According to the SSU, to carry out the scheme, the suspect enlisted the secretary of one of the village councils in the Odesa district and the head of an engineering company.
SSU officers documented the suspects’ crimes and detained them after they received the first part of the bribe, amounting to 10,000 U.S. dollars.
