SBI detained a Kiyv city council official who systematically took hundreds of thousands of dollars extortions from Kyiv bus drivers (VIDEO)

The SBI employees detained one of the deputy heads of the Department of Transport Infrastructure of Kyiv who systematically took bribes from private bus companies in the capital.

The official blackmailed the bus drivers with work disruptions if they would not pay the money. He devised a scheme according to which the bus operators had to pay a daily fixed fee from each of the hundreds of buses that made the run in Kyiv.

He took as a mediator his close friend, who worked for one of the state enterprises of the capital.

It was documented that the official demanded from the co-owner of the three Kyiv enterprises of public transport, 100 thousand dollars for unhindered functioning. For another 120 thousand U.S. dollars he demanded the renewal of four contracts for the passengers' transportation, even though by the martial law, the Kyiv authorities had to automatically prolong these contracts until the end of the war.

To ensure that the enterprises approved the "right decision" faster, the intruders constantly pressed on him, conducted unplanned inspections of enterprises, and filed assets of fabricated violations.

Before the beginning of the full-scale Russian aggression, the entrepreneur had already "paid" a tax to the official, which was also documented by the employees of the SBI.

The constant pressure from the officials contributed to the rise in transportation tariffs for citizens, which in its turn increased social pressure on the residents of the capital.

The SBI detained red-handed the high-ranking official and his partner while receiving a $220,000 bribe.

Eight rounds of searches were conducted, including at the Department of Transport Infrastructure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Pretrial investigation is ongoing under Part. Article 190(4) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (fraud committed in an especially gross amount, or by an organized group, punishable by imprisonment for a term of 5 to 12 years and confiscation of property).

The matter of informing the detainees about the suspicion and providing them with a preventive measure is being discussed.

The Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office is in charge of the proceedings.

We would like to remind you that in January 2021 the SBI officers found facts of systemic corruption in the Kiyv City Council, which could cost the local community tens of billions of hryvnias.