Sumy deputy previously accused of pressuring a local TV channel detained for attempted bribe

The police detained two Sumy Oblast Council deputies who offered a $100,000 bribe to the management of the Sumy Military Administration, reports the Security Service of Ukraine.

According to the SBU, the deputies offered the money in exchange for a merger of several local healthcare facilities into one hospital and an approval for their director candidate.

"In this way, the men planned to establish 'control' over the budget distribution in the newly created healthcare institution. Moreover, they offered the city authorities an 'interest' – a share from the budget money allocated to the new hospital," the SBU notes.

The deputies were detained while trying to hand over half of the money – $50,000.

Sumy Oblast Council deputies detained

As the representative of the Institute of Mass Information, Alyona Yatsyna, learned from her own sources, one of the deputies is Mahomed Halayev. The day before, the TV channel "Vidicon" accused him of pressure, reporting phone threats to the channel's director, Natalia Bratushka. The channel believes the pressure has to do with their recent story about land allocation issues, which mentioned the deputy's wife, Natalia Halayeva. The deputy himself denied the allegations.

According to the SBU, suspicion notices to the detainees under Part 4 of Art. 369 of the Criminal Code (offering, promising or giving a bribe to an official) are being prepared.

Mahomed-Sharip Jamalovych Halaev was elected to the Sumy Oblast Council in 2020 as a member of the "Batkivshchyna" party. He is the director of the Sumy Oblast Union of Consumer Associations.