Employees of the State Bureau of Investigation completed pre-trial investigation in the case of a lawyer and his wife, an employee of the Zaporozhye law enforcement agency, who organized the escape of servicemen from the army for a monetary reward. The indictment has already been submitted to the court.
According to the investigation materials, the couple systematically provided the military with a comprehensive service, tentatively called “turnkey desertion.” Information about the lawyer, who allegedly helps to avoid service, quickly spread among the military by word of mouth. After the serviceman’s appeal, the lawyer offered to organize the voluntary abandonment of the unit for money and, if necessary, to provide full legal support.
His wife, who had access to official information about roadblocks and passwords, was involved in the scheme. Using her service card, the couple transported the soldiers in their own car, providing them with free passage to the places where they would later hide. The cost of “services” reached 60,000 hryvnias per person.
The investigation also established that the woman passed confidential data from the information base on incidents related to TCC to the lawyer husband in order to find new clients.
While receiving money from another serviceman who was trying to escape from the service, the lawyer was detained by the SBU officers together with the SBU. Together with him, three deserters were detained, whom the couple had previously taken out of the military units – they were hiding in Zaporizhzhia.
The lawyer and his wife were charged with obstructing the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and contributing to desertion (Part 1 of Article 114-1, Part 2 of Article 15, Part 5 of Article 27, Part 4 of Article 408 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). In addition, women are charged with unauthorized dissemination of information with limited access (Part 1 of Article 361-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). She has already been dismissed from the ranks of law enforcement agencies.
Three soldiers, whom the couple took out of their units, are accused of desertion under Part 4 Art. 408 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The punishment prescribed by law is up to 12 years of imprisonment. Procedural management is carried out by the Zaporizhzhya specialized prosecutor’s office in the field of defense of the Eastern region.
