“Since the beginning of 2020, 510 criminal proceedings have been initiated for corruption crimes thanks to the SBU investigations. 679 people have received notices of suspicion, 104 persons have been convicted, 143 officials have been fired”, announced Ivan Bakanov, the SBU Head, at the meeting at the Prosecutor General’s Office.

“Cases of systemic destruction of government bodies by corruption pose a threat to the national security. In fact, the SBU counteracts such exact cases. These are actual investigations based on the SBU materials, which result in judgments of conviction. Such crimes are punishable by dismissal and imprisonment,” - noted Ivan Bakanov.

According to the SBU Head, the largest number of corruption crimes has been committed by officials of various levels. In particular, about 212 criminal proceedings are ongoing and 269 persons have been served notices of suspicion. Among them is the former head of Kirovohrad Regional State Administration, who was served a notice of suspicion of extorting a bribe in the amount of UAH 1,3 million (USD 45,600). A large-scale scheme for issuing illegal permits in the State Architectural and Construction Inspection, which functioned for years, has also been eliminated.

Also, a significant number of corruption crimes has been exposed in law enforcement and regulatory agencies. Based on the SBU materials, 208 criminal proceedings have been initiated, 268 persons have been served notices of suspicion. In total, since the beginning of 2020, six organized criminal groups have been blocked in law enforcement agencies.

In compliance with the President’s Decree, the SBU jointly with other law enforcement agencies, fights corruption at the customs border, counteracts illegal deforestation and supervises weight control on roads. Regarding the latter, the law enforcement officers exposed current officials of the State Service of Ukraine for Transport Safety on corruption schemes and on the embezzlement of budget funds in the amount of UAH 100 m. (USD 35,000) during procurement of weight and dimensional complexes in 2018.