NABU and SAPO Expose Corrupt Prosecutor from Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office

The NABU and SAPO have exposed a prosecutor from the Office of the Prosecutor General.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) have exposed a prosecutor from the Office of the Prosecutor General and lawyers for soliciting a $3.5 million bribe to close a criminal case being investigated by NABU detectives.

According to Slovo i Dilo, this was reported by the press services of NABU and SAPO.

“Under the procedural guidance of a SAPO prosecutor, NABU detectives exposed a prosecutor from the Office of the Prosecutor General and lawyers for soliciting a $3,500,000 bribe to close a criminal case being investigated by NABU detectives. The funds were allegedly to be transferred to SAPO prosecutors and High Anti-Corruption Court judges for issuing the corresponding decision,” the authorities reported.

According to the investigation, the lawyers conspired with a prosecutor from the Office of the Prosecutor General and offered a NABU case suspect to resolve the matter of closing the case by bribing officials of the SAPO and the High Anti-Corruption Court.

Under the devised plan, the individuals acted as intermediaries in receiving and transferring the money. At the same time, the amount of the bribe increased — from $2 million to $3.5 million.

“At the time the crime was exposed, the prosecutor and lawyers had received part of the funds from the suspect in the amount of $200,000. Urgent investigative actions are currently underway to identify all possible participants in the criminal scheme and to document their illegal activities. The preliminary legal qualification: Part 2 of Article 15, Part 4 of Article 27, Part 4 of Article 369 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine,” the authorities added.

Recall that NABU and SAPO previously caught two prosecutors from the Office of the Prosecutor General red-handed. According to the investigation, they received $170,000 in illegal benefits to close a criminal case under investigation. Prosecutor Oleg Hunko was detained.

As reported, the anti-corruption court extended Hunko’s detention with an alternative bail. Bail was posted, and he was released from custody. The suspect was assigned the following obligations: to appear upon every request; not to leave Kyiv without permission; to report any change of residence; to refrain from contacting four specific individuals; to surrender foreign passports for safekeeping and to wear an electronic bracelet.

EMPR