14 million in cash for bogus disability claims: law enforcement officers have arrested group of doctors in Kharkiv region and revealed bedroom full of dollars. PHOTOS
A scheme involving the illegal granting of disability status to conscripts has been uncovered in the Kharkiv region. For between 5,000 and 8,000 US dollars, they were helped to obtain documents entitling them to a deferment from mobilisation.
This was reported by Censor.NET, citing the press office of the Prosecutor General’s Office.
How did the scheme work?
According to the investigation, two doctors from medical institutions were involved in the scheme – a neurologist and the head of the therapeutic department – as well as a driver, a data entry operator at a regional healthcare facility, and a civilian accomplice.
The driver and the civilian man sought out ‘clients’ from among those liable for military service and directed them to the ‘right’ doctors. The doctors drew up medical reports with fictitious diagnoses, on the basis of which electronic referrals were created to the regional medical centre.
The data entry clerk registered the documents in the system and forwarded them for review by the expert team assessing a person’s daily functioning (EKOPFO). On the basis of these documents, the men were assigned a disability category, which entitled them to a deferral from mobilisation.
All participants in the scheme have been detained in accordance with Article 208 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of Ukraine.
How much money was seized?
During authorised searches, over 243,000 US dollars, approximately 750,000 hryvnias, over 50,000 euros and 700 pounds sterling were seized from the suspects. At the National Bank of Ukraine’s exchange rate, the total amount of funds seized exceeds 14.3 million hryvnias.
Suspicions
- Under the procedural supervision of the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, all five participants in the scheme have been notified of their status as suspects in the obstruction of the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during a state of emergency, committed as a result of prior conspiracy (Part 2 of Article 28, Part 1 of Article 114-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
- At the prosecutor’s request, four suspects have been remanded in custody without the right to bail. The issue of a preventive measure for the fifth suspect is currently being decided.
- Law enforcement agencies are identifying other possible participants in the scheme and individuals who availed themselves of its ‘services’.
