In Kherson region, the SBU exposed a large-scale bribery of citizens for artificial change of residential addresses on the local elections.

The SBU officers established that a local resident acts in the interests of a candidate for the post of the head of the united territorial community, located in the resort area.

After the information about change of the address appeared in the State Register of Voters, the offender transferred the money on citizens' bank cards. Law enforcement officers documented that over 200 people managed to change their addresses.

Following masterminds’ instruction, voters were not supposed to come to the polling place at all. The commission members planned to throw these ballots in the ballot box and artificially increase the number of votes for the candidate.

The offender received a notice of suspicion of violation of referendum law and forgery of election documents, referendum documents or falsification of election returns, providing false information to the authority of the State Register of Voters or falsification of information of the State Register of Voters.

The woman may be imprisoned for six years with deprivation of the right to hold certain post or engage in certain activities for five years.

The investigation is ongoing to bring to justice all persons involved in the scheme.

The operation was conducted jointly with the National Police under the procedural supervision of the Kherson Region Prosecutor's Office.