Ukrainian mobilisation chief arrested after ‘taking bribes for exemptions’
A former Ukrainian military official accepted bribes in order to help men escape mobilisation, authorities have claimed after charging him with corruption.
His arrest comes amid allegations that his family has amassed millions of pounds worth of real estate in Spain.
On Monday, Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) arrested Yevhen Borisov who was in charge of mobilisation and conscription in the Odesa region until he was fired last month.
The SBI, who typically handle high-profile crimes, said Mr Borisov was detained in Kyiv before he tried to flee the country.
On Saturday, he was charged by the SBI with illicit enrichment, but law enforcement officers were not able to locate him for two days because he kept changing phone numbers, car licence plates and his location, they say.
Marbella real estate and sports cars
The investigation into Mr Borisov was launched following a damning investigation by the Ukrainian media outlet Ukrainska Pravda that alleged the conscription chief and his family bought luxurious real estate in Marbella and several sports cars after the start of the Russian invasion.
In May, Ukrainian investigators accused Mr Borisov of taking bribes of over 188 million hryvnias (£4 million) from local residents in return for issuing exemptions from mobilisation.
Mr Borisov publicly denied the allegations.
Ukrainian men and women have been volunteering to join the army since before the start of the Russian invasion, but many have been anxious to avoid getting conscripted as the protracted war calls for greater manpower.
Mr Borisov was eventually arrested on a busy Kyiv street, according to a video released by the SBI that showed a man in a polo shirt and a black baseball cap stopped by a group of officers and led away.
He is expected to face a hearing on Tuesday, the investigators said, and his suspected crime is considered grave enough to rule out a possible release on bail.
He could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
