Since the beginning of the year, more than 1100 attempts to provide illegal benefits to border guards totaling UAH 1.5 million have been stopped
Every year, on December 9, at the initiative of the United Nations, the International Day Against Corruption is celebrated.
Since the beginning of 2021, more than 1,100 attempts to provide illegal benefits to border guards have been stopped. The total amount of such offers is more than 1.5 million hryvnias.
For example, in the checkpoint “Novotroitske” a citizen of Ukraine offered 1900 US dollars for the unhindered transfer of funds to the TOT of Ukraine, the amount of which significantly exceeded the established by law. And a citizen of the Russian Federation, persistently trying to enter the territory of Ukraine, offered an illegal benefit in the amount of 1500 US dollars to the serviceman of the Mogilev-Podolsky border detachment. At the separate checkpoint “Kyiv”, an Indian citizen and an Iraqi citizen were offered 2000 and 1000 US dollars for reviewing the decisions made against them on refusing to cross the state border.
In all the above cases, the servicemen refused bribes, and the violators were charged with a crime, which is provided for by Art. 369 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Foreigners were returned on return flights and banned from further entry into Ukraine. Recall that Art. 369 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine provides for bribers liability from a fine (from UAH 17,000) to 10 years imprisonment with confiscation of property.
It should be noted that the department has an effective practice of encouraging servicemen who have refused illegal benefits with awards and cash awards.
During this year, the “leader” in the number of such refusals is a soldier of the OKPP “Kyiv”. Since the beginning of the year, he has already refused bribes in the amount of more than 6 thousand US dollars.
In total, 254 border guards were awarded a total amount of more than 260 thousand hryvnias this year for refusing illegal benefits, of which 18 are the rights of the Head of the State Border Guard Service. The rest of the personnel are encouraged by the rights of heads of departments and bodies in which border guards serve.
In addition to the formation of integrity, the consolidation of sustainable motivation of the personnel regarding conscious virtuous behavior, the non-acceptance of corruption manifestations at all levels, preventive and educational and methodological measures, the work of the internal and own security units of the State Border Guard Service gives a significant result in the anti-corruption activities of the department.
Only from the beginning of the year, the employees of these units carried out 1927 checks on the order of service. Many border guards realized that “generous offers” to facilitate illegal activities could be under the operational support of internal and domestic security officers.
Since the beginning of 2021, 28 servicemen have been detained for abuse of official position and promotion of illegal activities at the border, of which 16 are involved in tobacco smuggling, illegal movement of consumer goods - 5, illegal transportation of illegal migrants - 2, facilitation of admission to training - 1, assistance in resolving the issue of movement in the service — 2, assistance in obtaining a passport of a foreign state — 1, assistance in speeding up border control procedures — 1.
Among those detained for corruption are 5 officers and 23 servicemen of sergeant and regular staff.
For example, a soldier in one of the units of the Chopin Border Patrol agreed for $18,200 to facilitate the movement of tobacco products and the transport of illegal migrants across the state border. A soldier of the Kharkiv detachment for 12,700 euros agreed to contribute to the organization of illegal movement of goods.
With the participation of internal and own security officers of the State Border Guard Service, all units of state border protection without exception were checked. Bribermen, including heads of units, were detained in Volyn, Transcarpathia, Bukovina and other regions.
At this time, 29 border guards have been found guilty of committing corruption offenses. The judgments of the courts determined the punishment in the form of payment of fines in the amount of more than 331,100 hryvnias, 1 serviceman was given a sentence in the form of 3 years imprisonment with confiscation of all property belonging to him, 1 serviceman was sentenced in the form of 5 years of imprisonment with probation, 2 servicemen prisoners are sentenced in the form of 3 years of imprisonment with probation, 4 servicemen — in the form of 3 months of Hauptguardianship and a ban on holding office for 3 years, another serviceman — in the form of 10 months of service restriction, deducted from the amount of monetary security in the amount of state income in the amount of 10%.
Work on preventing and countering corruption in the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine continues.
And we emphasize to the public — do not try to involve border guards in illegal activities!
We urge not to be passive in case of detection of manifestations of corrupt actions of border guards. Inform about such cases through the phones of the “Trust” service and on the page of the official website of the State Border Guard Service in the section “Prevention of corruption”.
Press service of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine
