The current Deputy Minister of Energy was caught on a half-million dollar bribe for granting permission to export mining equipment from the frontline area.
This was reported by the Prosecutor General's Office, NABU and the SBU. According to lb.ua's law enforcement sources, it is Oleksandr Kheylo.
According to the investigation, the official, in collusion with the head of one of the state-owned coal enterprises from eastern Ukraine and two other people, asked the head of another coal enterprise located in the western region to provide an undue benefit of $500,000.
The SBU added that the scheme was uncovered with the assistance of the Minister of Energy of Ukraine. This position is currently held by Herman Halushchenko.
His deputy was detained in Kyiv.
For half a million dollars, the official, using his authority, promised the heads of state-owned enterprises in the Lviv-Volyn coal basin to freely transfer mining equipment from mines in the frontline region of Donetsk Region.
This is unique and scarce equipment from one of the state-owned coal companies located in the hottest area of the eastern frontline, Pokrovsk.
However, the official, whose duties included the preservation of mining equipment, demanded money for its removal.
He involved three accomplices in the illegal activity: a private energy trader, the head of an energy company from Mykolayiv Region and the head of a mining company from Donetsk Region. The equipment was to be evacuated from this mining plant after the organiser of the deal received part of the bribe.
The funds were to be transferred in five instalments of $100,000 at each meeting.
When the third tranche of the bribe was transferred to one of the accomplices, he was caught red-handed.
All four participants in the deal were detained in accordance with Article 208 of the CPC of Ukraine. They were served a notice of suspicion under Part 4 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
