The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported on Oct. 2 that the Mayor of Sumy was detained along with the city’s infrastructure chief on charges of bribery in a joint operation conducted with the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).
Olexandr Lysenko, the mayor of Sumy and Olexandr Zhurba, the director of the infrastructure department, allegedly demanded bribes from various local businesses for a total of Hr.2.13 million ($58,000) to ensure “unimpeded business in the city,” the SBU said.
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They “imposed tribute,” on a local company that was engaged in garbage removal, according to the SBU. They also took money for the executive committee of the Sumy City Council to establish a new economically justified tariff for household waste management. And if they refused to pay, then they would be threatened with “artificial obstacles in doing business.”
According to the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), from November 2022 to October 2023, the investigation documented the receipt of Hr.2.13 million ($58,000) in illicit income.
“On Oct. 2, 2023 said individuals were caught ‘red-handed’ immediately after receiving the third tranche of the agreed funds – Hr.1,430,000 hryvnias ($3,870),” SAPO reported.
As per Ukrainian legal procedures, the suspects were issued notices of suspicion pending the determination of a bail amount, if any.”
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“In accordance with the first part of Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine,” the SBU press service said, “a person is considered innocent of having committed a crime and cannot be subjected to criminal punishment until his guilt is proved legally and established by a guilty verdict of the court.”
Lysenko has been the mayor of Sumy for nine years. He was first elected to the position in 2014. In 2020 he was re-elected.
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