The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) on November 10 sentenced the former acting head of the state enterprise "Chornomorsk Sea Commercial Port" to 10 years in prison. He was found guilty of receiving a $250,000 bribe for assisting in the approval of a rehabilitation plan for a private enterprise undergoing bankruptcy proceedings.
The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office reported this.
According to the SAPO, the panel of judges found the former official guilty of soliciting and receiving an unlawful benefit from representatives of private business.
For $250,000, the former official was to ensure the creditors' committee's approval of the rehabilitation plan for the debtor enterprise. One of the creditors of this enterprise was the state sea port "Chornomorsk".
At the time of the crime, the bankruptcy case of the private company was pending in the commercial court. Approval of the rehabilitation plan by the creditors' committee, followed by court confirmation, would have allowed the investor to resume the business operations of the debtor enterprise on the port's territory.
Rehabilitation is a legally established procedure for restoring a debtor's solvency. It may involve debt restructuring, attracting investors, and other measures to preserve the enterprise's operations.
Thus, the decision by the creditors' committee had direct significance for the further operation of the private company and the implementation of the investment project.
The HACC sentenced the former port manager to 10 years' imprisonment with confiscation of all his property. In addition, the court barred him from holding certain positions for three years.
The actions of the former official were classified under Part 4 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – acceptance of an unlawful benefit by a public official.
After the verdict was announced, the court changed the preventive measure for the convicted person from bail to detention. The former head of the state enterprise was taken into custody directly in the courtroom.
However, the verdict has not yet entered into legal force. According to the SAPO, it will take effect 30 days after pronouncement, unless it is appealed within that period.
