Lviv tax official charged with extorting bribes from entrepreneurs
A tax department head in Lviv Oblast has been served with a suspicion of extorting bribes to unblock tax invoices, the NationalAnti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) announced on April 24.
The notice was served jointly by NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).
In February-April 2023, the tax official demanded bribes to unblock VAT invoices. The official "charged" 1.5% of the invoice amount for her "services".
The NABU and the SAPO have evidence of three transactions, totaling about UAH 200,000 ($5,436). Detectives and prosecutors are looking for possible accomplices.
The tax official was charged with ‘abuse of influence’ (Part 3 of Art. 369-2 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code).
NV reported earlier that according to a survey, more than half of Ukrainians believe that tax and customs authorities only hinder entrepreneurs.
Despite Ukraine being at war, several high-profile corruption cases have gone to court over the last year or so in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also announced several firings of top officials at the end of January that political commentators speculated was connected to corruption allegations against government members.
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