How a Kyiv police officer tried to escape with $400,000 in arrested individuals
The head of one of the departments of the Darnytskyi police department in Kyiv, Yuriy Rybanskyi, according to sources in law enforcement agencies, decided to turn his official knowledge into personal «benefit». Using access to physical evidence, he learned about the arrest of a large sum of money — 400 thousand US dollars, seized during the investigation of a network of illegal gambling establishments.
According to the law, the seized funds were to be transferred to the police financial department for safekeeping. However, Rybanskyi, who had keys to the service safe, decided to «adjust» the procedure at his own discretion. He discreetly took the money out of the department premises and hid it at home, then carefully prepared to escape.
According to investigators, the police officer purchased a white Renault Trafic minibus and, without informing his family, headed towards the western border. Preliminary versions suggest that he planned to use corrupt connections to illegally leave Ukraine and travel to Europe.
When Rybanskyi did not show up for work, turned off his phone, and did not return home, relatives filed a missing person report. Subsequently, the police opened a criminal case — initially regarding the possible disappearance, but when the seized currency was missing from the service safe, it became clear that the «disappearance» had a different nature.
Within a few days, the search for Rybanskyi intensified with the participation of the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI). Thanks to surveillance camera footage analysis, his route was tracked. Law enforcement officers traced him to Rivne region, where he was detained while traveling in the minibus.
The SBI announced the opening of proceedings under Part 3 of Article 365 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — abuse of authority or official powers by a law enforcement officer, resulting in serious consequences. The article's sanction provides for up to 10 years of imprisonment.
The prosecutor's office is preparing a petition to the court for the selection of a preventive measure in the form of detention without bail. Investigators are also checking whether Rybanskyi's family members knew about his actions and whether the «disappearance» report was part of a planned cover-up scheme.
