USD 10,000 to lift ban on construction in Zakarpattia: two suspects

NABU and SAPO, jointly with the State Bureau of Investigation, have exposed a developer and his accomplice for offering an illicit benefit to a judge of the Uzhhorod City-District Court.

According to the investigation, a construction company was building a multi-story residential complex on a land plot in Zakarpattia Region. However, following a lawsuit filed by residents of the adjacent area, a court issued an injunction prohibiting further construction work.

To resolve the situation, the head of the company and the husband of the landowner decided to offer an illicit benefit to the judge. They chose a judge of the Zakarpattia Court of Appeal, with whom one of them maintained a longstanding friendly relationship, to act as an intermediary for the transfer of funds.

During meetings in Uzhhorod, they first offered and subsequently handed over USD 10,000 to the intermediary judge. These funds were intended for the local court judge in exchange for a ruling to lift the construction ban.

The individuals were detained pursuant to Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. They have been served with notices of suspicion under Part 3 of Article 369 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (provision of an illicit benefit to an official holding a responsible position, committed by a group of persons acting in a prior conspiracy).