A former MP and his son have been arrested in Lviv on suspicion of organising a scheme to facilitate travel abroad
In Lviv, law enforcement officers have arrested a 66-year-old man from Lviv, who previously served as a councillor on one of the village councils in the Zhovkivsky district, and his 46-year-old son.
According to the investigation, they organised a scheme to obtain money from a man liable for military service who intended to travel abroad.
The suspects offered him two options. The first involved obtaining medical documents to establish a Group III disability, allowing him to leave Ukraine, for 15,000 US dollars. The second option involved illegally crossing the state border outside of official crossing points for 10,000 US dollars.
The man agreed to the disability application. Following this, according to the investigation, the father and son met with him on several occasions in public places near shopping centres, where they discussed the details and provided the necessary instructions.
Subsequently, the payment amount increased. Initially, they demanded an additional 40,000 hryvnias for the preparation of documents, and later a further 11,000 hryvnias for arranging inpatient treatment without the patient actually staying at the medical facility.
The investigation established that, to create the appearance of the man undergoing treatment, he was taken to a medical facility in the Lviv community on several occasions. However, he did not speak to the doctors and waited in the car whilst the necessary documents were being processed.
At the end of May, the suspects reported that the documents were almost ready and requested payment. After receiving the first instalment of the funds, they were detained by law enforcement officers.
Under the procedural guidance of the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, both suspects were notified of their suspicion of organising and facilitating the illegal smuggling of persons across the state border of Ukraine, committed for financial gain by a group of individuals under Part 3 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Investigative proceedings are currently ongoing. Law enforcement officers are identifying other individuals who may have been involved in the scheme, including staff at the medical facility.
In accordance with Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent until their guilt has been proven in accordance with the law and established by a court conviction.
