Odesa Lawmaker Faces Charges of Corruption Scheme
An Odesa lawmaker has been charged with organizing a corruption scheme related to the destruction of trees in the city. According to the Odesa regional prosecutor’s office, the official demanded substantial sums for each permit to cut down a tree. The scheme operated through intermediaries controlled by the deputy, with bribes ranging from 2 to 5 thousand dollars per service.
The money was transferred to a cryptocurrency account opened for this purpose. The prosecutor’s office documented at least two cases of receiving a bribe totaling 7,000 US dollars. The deputy was arrested during the transfer of the second installment of the bribe at a cryptocurrency exchange point. He is accused of receiving a bribe in exchange for influencing decision-making. The investigation is complete, and the case has been referred to court.
It is known that the deputy is the head of the Odesa City Council’s permanent committee on ecology, emergency situations prevention, and communications. According to public opinion, this is Mikhail Karpenchuk.
