The joint efforts of NABU, SAP, SBU and the Kyiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office detained Deputy Minister of Energy Oleksandr Hale and three other people while receiving illegal benefits in the amount of 500,000 dollars.
This information has been confirmed press services relevant authorities, although the name of the person involved is not officially known. However, according to the data edition “Word and deed”, with reference to its own sources, it is about Hale.
According to the official announcement of the Specialized Anti-corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP), under the procedural guidance of prosecutors of the SAP and the Kyiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, NABU detectives together with the SBU exposed the official and his accomplices for receiving illegal benefits for granting permission to export mining equipment from the front-line zone.
According to the investigation, the deputy minister of energy, acting in collusion with the head of one of the state-owned coal enterprises from the east of Ukraine and two other persons, turned to the head of another coal enterprise located in the western region with a request to provide an illegal benefit in the amount of 500 thousand dollars. For this money, he promised to ensure the transfer to storage with the possibility of using valuable coal mining equipment, which was located in mines near the war zone. This equipment was in fact in need of rescue due to the approach of the front line.
The transfer of funds was to be carried out in five parts of 100,000 dollars each. During the third transfer of the bribe, one of the accomplices was arrested at the scene of the crime. All four participants of the criminal scheme were detained in accordance with Art. 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine, and they are suspected under Part 4 of Art. 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Note that, for in words the representative of the Cabinet of Ministers in the Verkhovna Rada, Taras Melnychuk, and Oleksandr Hale were dismissed from their positions at the Ministry of Energy.
