In Khmelnitsky, the court found guilty Volodymyr Didukh, deputy director of the Department of Ecology of the OVA, who received UAH 6,000 for assistance in issuing permits for emissions of pollutants into the atmospheric air.
The official signed a plea agreement and agreed to pay a 42.5 thousand hryvnia fine, according to SHEPETIVKA.COM.UA.
It is noted that in November 2022, he provided a representative of the Podillya-Teplo-Invest enterprise with a limited list of institutions where design permits can be prepared for obtaining a permit. She turned to PE Evante, one of the firms on the list.
"[The director of the firm] said that the cost of the services provided would be about UAH 50,000, part of which must be transferred to officials of the Department of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Khmelnytsky Regional State Administration in order to influence the decision-making by the head of the department, whose authority includes signing a permit for emissions of pollutants substances into the atmospheric air," the case file says.
The material said that the representatives said to send only 5,000 hryvnia to the company's account, and the rest of the amount – to transfer in cash. At the end of March, she transferred 20,000 hryvnias, and already on April 13, the head of Evante transferred 6,000 hryvnias from this amount to Volodymyr Didukh. The day after that, the permits for pollutant emissions were signed.
It is noted that during the investigation, Didukh concluded an agreement with the prosecutor on the admission of guilt, which was approved by the court. The court also decided to cancel the decision to remove the official from office. He also has to pay UAH 5.7 thousand for the examinations.
The material added that at the end of April, the press service of the police reported that not only the deputy director, but also the head of the environmental department, Anna Bogdanovich, was suspected of a corruption scheme. The official categorically denies all accusations. The director of the company, whom the police consider to be an intermediary, also received suspicion in this case. The investigation of these cases is ongoing.
As EcoPolitics reported earlier, the police uncovered a corruption scheme by an official from the Kyiv City State Administration, who systematically demanded bribes for the issuance of permits for emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere and other permits.
