In the Lviv region, medical workers who helped establish disabilities for money will be tried
The amounts that doctors demanded from patients ranged from 12 to 50 thousand hryvnias, depending on each specific case.
Employees of the SBI completed a pre-trial investigation into an organized criminal group that operated in one of the district hospitals in the Lviv region, making money by establishing disability groups for patients. About this informs press service of the department.
The indictment has already been sent to the court.
The illegal activities of this group were exposed in April of this year by employees of the SBI in cooperation with the SBU.
The investigation established that the head of the Medical Advisory Commission involved a surgeon, a neurologist and two traumatologists in criminal activities. They offered patients the opportunity to receive or extend the disability group, promising not only to prepare documents for the medical and social expert commission, but also to influence its decision. Doctors assured that this is possible only with their help and for the appropriate fee.
The sums demanded from the patients ranged from 12 to 50 thousand hryvnias, depending on whether the disability was established for the first time or it needed to be extended. The highest sums were requested from men of draft age, whose disability certificate allowed them to avoid conscription and go abroad.
Law enforcement officers documented 10 cases of obtaining illegal benefits for the preparation of documentation, totaling 240,000 hryvnias.
During the searches, money in various currencies, equivalent to 2.8 million hryvnias, was found on the persons involved. These funds have been seized.
The organizer and four performers are accused of abuse of influence committed by an organized group (Part 2-3 of Article 27, Part 3 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 369-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The sanction of the article provides imprisonment for a term of up to 5 years.
At the request of the SBI, the participants were suspended from their duties and preventive measures were taken – detention with the possibility of bail: 600 thousand hryvnias for the organizer and 500 thousand hryvnias for other members of the group.
Procedural management is carried out by the Lviv Specialized Prosecutor’s Office in the field of defense of the Western region.
