The Security Service continues to systematically root out criminal schemes in Ukraine’s state institutions. With the assistance of the Kherson City Military Administration, the director of one of the departments of the Kherson City Council has been detained on bribery charges.

The investigation revealed that the official demanded money from a businessman involved in the technical maintenance of Starlink system stations.

For the bribes, the official guaranteed the businessman contracts for the performance of contract work in the city council’s structural units and municipal institutions, particularly in kindergartens.

In exchange for signing the documents, the entrepreneur was required to pay the official a 10% kickback of the total contract amount.

It has been documented that under these conditions, the department chief signed five contracts with the contractor for the maintenance of Starlink terminals in two kindergartens, a library, the executive committee, and the city council’s culture department.

If the entrepreneur refused to pay the monthly bribes, the perpetrator threatened to terminate the contracts.

To conceal the scheme, the contractor was required to transfer the money to a bank account of the official’s live-in partner.

The SSU documented the crime and caught the suspect red-handed during the transfer of a new bribe.

During the searches of his office and home, computer equipment and smartphones containing evidence of the scheme were seized.

The official has been notified of suspicion under Article 369-2.3 of the CCU (abuse of influence) and faces up to 8 years in prison with confiscation of property.

The operational and investigative steps were carried out by the SSU Office in the Kherson region under the procedural supervision of the regional Prosecutor’s Office.