The State Bureau of Investigation has served a notice of suspicion to a lawyer in the Ivano-Frankivsk region who received 18,000 euros from a defendant for allegedly facilitating a plea bargain in criminal proceedings. This allowed the client to receive significantly lighter legal consequences, UNN reports with reference to the SBI.
Details
The investigation established that the lawyer convinced his client, who was accused of illegally transporting men of military age across the border, that he could secure the "necessary decision" within the criminal proceedings.
For the specified amount of money, he promised to lobby for the relevant decision with the prosecutor's office staff. At the same time, he had no intention of transferring any funds to the prosecutors, but used the fabricated story solely to seize the client's money through fraud
The suspect valued his "services" at 18,000 euros. The lawyer was detained after receiving the illegal benefit.
During the inspection of the scene, law enforcement officers seized 18,000 euros and a mobile phone. Searches were also conducted at the suspect's place of residence and work, as well as in his car.
The detainee was notified of suspicion for a completed attempt at a criminal offense, an offer, promise, or provision of an unlawful benefit to an official, committed by prior conspiracy by a group of persons, as well as for large-scale fraud committed through incitement (Part 4 of Art. 27, Part 2 of Art. 15, Part 3 of Art. 369, Part 4 of Art. 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The detainee faces up to 8 years in prison.
Recall
Prosecutor General of Ukraine Ruslan Kravchenko reported that over the past year and a half, 119 lawyers have been notified of suspicion, and indictments against 79 have already been sent to court.