Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) opens criminal investigation against corrupt judges in Volyn Oblast

January10200811:35

A probe into charges of bribery brought against one of rayon judges in the Volyn Oblast was opened by the Prosecutor General’s Office, SBU Jan. 10 press service release runs.

According to the SBU, another judge and a go-between who passed the bribe will be also investigated. The judge, the chief justice of a rayon court, and the go-between were detained in the office when the judge was receiving a $4,000 bribe for passing an unlawful ruling.

According ZIK sources, all the suspects are members of the Horokhiv rayon court. The suspects were detained in a surprise raid by SBU’s elite force, Alfa. About 20 Alfa servicemen blocked the court premises in broad daylight, searched the offices and detained the suspects.

The SBU raid is part of a campaign to eradicate corruption. The raid was a reaction to a tip-off by a local resident who had been abused by the court. According to some reports, the SBU Alfa team had a search warrant issued by the Pechersk rayon court in Kyiv.

Comment by ZIK (Western Information Agency)

On June 3, 2007, Horokhiv city Mayor Viktor Semenchenko was arrested for allegedly taking a $9,000 bribe for facilitating the sale of a land site for a business company.