Mayor of Odesa region detained in case of attempt to illegally seize a recreation center
Kyiv • UNN
The SBU and the National Police detained the mayor of a city in Odesa region for extortion. The official, according to law enforcement, was the head of a criminal group that tried to illegally seize a recreation center on the Black Sea coast.
In Odesa region, the mayor of a city was detained and the activities of a group of extortionists led by the mayor, who tried to "squeeze" a tourist center on the Black Sea coast, were eliminated, the SBU and the National Police said on Saturday, UNN reports.
Details
"The SBU together with the National Police neutralized a criminal group that terrorized residents of Odesa region. The gang was headed by the chairman of the city council of one of the region's port cities. According to the investigation, the suspects tried to illegally seize a local recreation center located on the Black Sea coast," the SBU said.
It is stated that for this purpose, "the group members forced the owner of the recreational facility to give up 50% of her corporate rights to it." "After that, they appointed their 'own' director to the recreation center, who began looking for buyers for the complex. When the buyers were found, the members of the criminal group were going to "squeeze" the remaining 50% of corporate rights from the owner," the SBU said.
According to the Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office , the case involves a recreation center on the Black Sea coast in the village of Serhiivka, Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi district.
According to the case file, the SBU said, "to implement the deal, the mayor engaged a lawyer he knew, as well as registrars and notaries under his control." "It was they who were supposed to re-register the 'squeezed' tourist center to potential buyers," the SBU said.
"Law enforcement officers detained the head of the criminal group, the mayor, red-handed when he was receiving a USD 30,000 deposit from the buyers of the campsite," the special service said.
The media writethat it is the head of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi.
According to the SBU, the detained official was served a notice of suspicion under Part 4 of Art. 189 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (organization of extortion of property rights with the threat of violence against the victim, committed by a group of persons under martial law). The issue of a type of detention is being decided.
The investigation is ongoing to bring all members of the criminal group to justice. The offenders face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.
