Two assistants to MPs from the banned Opposition Platform – For Life party were detained in Kyiv on suspicion of fraud. According to the case materials, they offered men liable for military service to avoid mobilization by using fake medical certificates stating they were unfit for military service or traveling abroad. After receiving the money, they disappeared.
This was reported on Wednesday, April 15, by the Security Service of Ukraine and the State Bureau of Investigation.
Certificate of Assistant to the People's Deputy. Security Service of Ukraine
“The figures misled citizens liable for military service, promising to organize travel abroad outside checkpoints. They also assured that they could produce fake disability documents and passports in a different name,” the SBI said in a statement.
The State Bureau of Investigation said that the suspects estimated their “services” at between 25 and 30 thousand US dollars. To be convincing, they demanded photos and copies of personal documents from clients, creating the impression that they were actually preparing for departure.
As reported by the SBU, assistants to people's deputies also offered clients:
- fictitious conclusions of a military medical commission on unfitness for service due to health conditions;
- “disability” certificates;
- fake certificates of volunteer formations of one of the territorial communities of the region.
Investigators established that after receiving the entire amount for the services, the suspects immediately blocked their clients' contacts and disappeared.
In total, law enforcement officers documented that assistants to people's deputies received over 650,000 hryvnias from two citizens. Other possible facts of fraud are being established, the State Bureau of Investigation added.
Fictitious medical certificate of unfitness for military service. Security Service of Ukraine
“Law enforcement officers documented the crimes of both suspects and detained them “red-handed” after receiving the funds. During the searches, smartphones with evidence of the transaction and money obtained through criminal means were seized from them,” the SBI said.
The assistants of the people's deputies were informed of the suspicion under Part 4 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – fraud committed on a large scale. The issue of choosing a preventive measure for them is being decided. The suspects face up to 8 years in prison.
What is known about other cases of aiding draft evasion?
On April 12, the SBU reported that law enforcement officers detained a couple suspected of organizing a mobilization evasion scheme. According to the case materials, they offered conscripts a fictitious diagnosis and disability group II for money.
On April 2, the Kyiv prosecutor's office reported that charges had been filed against a family doctor. She is suspected of facilitating the illegal transfer of a man who was conscripted into the military across the state border of Ukraine. The investigation found that the family doctor helped the man with the execution of medical documents. They were to become the basis for obtaining the third group of disability.
On March 27, the prosecutor's office reported that a 34-year-old man was detained in Kyiv on suspicion of selling fictitious disabilities for $9,000 through online ads. The suspect posted an ad on OLX to help conscripts remove themselves from military service and obtain fictitious disabilities. The man claimed to have connections among medical professionals and officials of military medical commissions and could influence their decisions.