The SSU has shut down a corruption scheme in the Main Directorate of the State Migration Service in Kharkiv oblast.

The suspected officials created artificial obstacles in the issuance of Ukrainian internal and foreign passports and demanded bribes to ‘overcome’ them.

Every month, the corrupt employees received up to half a million Hryvnias in illegal benefits (about USD 13,000).

According to the investigation, the scheme was organized by the chief of a district department of the State Migration Service. The woman organized a criminal group and involved five of her subordinates.

To operate the scheme, its members deliberately complicated the procedure for obtaining passports.

For example, they refused to receive citizens, did not register people in the electronic queue and did not answer the contact phone numbers of the state institution.

After such actions, the officials offered victims their ‘help’ in smooth processing of documents, asking for UAH 2,000 for a passport.

The SSU detained the organizer and her accomplices ‘red-handed’ when they received another bribe.

The detained civil servants have been notified of suspicion under Article 28.3, 368.3 of the CCU (acceptance of an offer, promise or receipt of an unlawful benefit by an official, committed in a criminal group).

The suspects are in custody, facing up to 10 years in prison with confiscation of property.

The operation was carried out by the SSU under the procedural supervision of the Prosecutor General’s Office.