Top city officials in Ivano-Frankivsk exposed for corruption while selling permits to developers
In Ivano-Frankivsk, law enforcement officers uncovered a large-scale corruption scheme in the field of urban planning and architectural and construction control. Among the suspects are officials of the city council.
This was reported on Facebook by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, Ukrinform reports.
According to him, the investigators believe the organizers of the scheme were an official of the Department of Urban Planning and Architecture - the city's chief architect, an official of the Department for State Architectural and Construction Control, and the director of a municipal enterprise engaged in the development of urban planning, design, and land management documentation in Ivano-Frankivsk.
Law enforcement officers established that the city council officials acted as the direct organizers and executors of preparing and signing the necessary decisions, while the director of the municipal enterprise acted as the main point of contact and accomplice, personally meeting with "clients," naming the set "rates," convincing applicants that payment was inevitable, and directly collecting cash.
The investigation found that money was taken from businesspeople twice: for issuing urban planning conditions and restrictions for the development of land plots, and for making decisions on registering notifications about the start of construction work.
Entrepreneurs were promised assistance in the further transfer of leased municipal land beneath real estate objects into private ownership.
According to Kravchenko, the criminal activity of the defendants has been clearly documented. In particular, the case involves extortion and receipt of bribes totaling $26,000.
During the investigative actions, it was established that the offenders received $10,000 from a local businesswoman for building passports for three plots, $5,000 from a representative of a chain of building supermarkets for urban planning conditions and restrictions for one plot, and another $11,000 from a construction company for similar permit documents and registration of the start of construction.
All three defendants were detained and served suspicion notices under Part 3 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - receiving unlawful benefit by an official. The director of the municipal enterprise is also charged with aiding and abetting the offense.
Preparations are underway to request that all three suspects be held in custody as a preventive measure.
The Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Prosecutor's Office, together with the Security Service of Ukraine, carried out 25 searches at the residences, in vehicles, and in the official offices of the defendants, as well as of persons who may be involved in the criminal scheme. As a result, significant amounts of cash, a vehicle fleet, and weapons were seized.
The investigation continues. Law enforcement officers are identifying all persons involved in the scheme, as well as other episodes of bribery in the region's construction sector.
As Ukrinform reported, the mayor of one of the cities in Odesa region is suspected of demanding a $30,000 bribe from an investor for permission to implement an energy project.