In Mykolaiv, the SBI has exposed an organized criminal group that earned money by selling data on the deceased persons

The employees of the SBI have exposed two law enforcement officers who were selling information about recently deceased citizens from a closed state database to a funeral agency.

The owner and two employees of the Mykolaiv ritual agency have decided to increase their profits and "bypass" local competition in the funeral business. They have bought confidential information about the deceased persons with addresses and contacts of relatives from the law enforcement officers. There have been recorded cases when within 3 minutes after the relatives of the deceased informed the law enforcement agency about the fact of the death, the agency called them and offered their services.

Currently, the employees of the SBI have documented almost 700 facts of the sale of information by the law enforcement officers for a remuneration. The ritual company paid to the law enforcement officers a percentage of the "profit" for each deceased. The cost of the data for one deceased was about 1 thousand hryvnas.

The law enforcement officers and their two accomplices were served notification of suspicion of unauthorized sale of information with limited access and violation of privacy committed by an organized group (Part 3 of Article 28, Part 1 and 2 of Article 361-2, Part 1 and 2 of Article 182 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

A notification of suspicion is being prepared for the fifth participant of the deal, who works in the ritual agency.

The issue of choosing a measure of restraint to the suspect is being decided. The law enforcement officers, after an internal investigation, were dismissed from their position.

The sanction of the Article provides for imprisonment for up to 5 years.

The procedural guidance is provided by the Mykolaiv Region Prosecutor's Office.