Ternopil draft office employee detained for bribery
Operatives of Department of Internal Security with Ternopil Police detained an employee of a local draft office who took bribes to exempt conscripts from military service, Ternopil National Police reported on March 20.
It is noted that the staff sergeant systematically took bribes with goods from the store in exchange for a promise to exempt them from military service.
He offered men of military age his help in avoiding mobilization. In exchange for money, he promised to remove information from the databases about the fact of getting a draft notice and not coming to draft office for UAH 20-40 thousand ($500-1,000).
In order to remain unnoticed, he invented his own corruption scheme: evaders paid for goods chosen by the man in stores, including construction materials, and then handed him a check and an invoice.
With this evidence of payment, the suspect either freely took the goods or returned the money for them.
The police detained the suspect, he was served with a notice of suspicion for accepting an offer, promise or receipt of an unlawful benefit by an official. He faces up to 10 years in prison.
In Ukraine, during martial law, all men between the ages of 18 and 60 are considered liable for military service and can be mobilized. They are prohibited from traveling abroad, except in cases provided for by law.
On Jan. 4, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said that law enforcement officers had opened about 9 thousand cases of draft evasion since the start of the full-scale war. 2600 of them have been referred to court.
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