On Christmas Eve, an attempt to extort money was thwarted. The GUR apprehended a regional council member and his accomplice.

Employees of the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) apprehended a deputy of the Lviv Regional Council and the deputy mayor of one of the territorial communities in the region. They attempted to extort over one million hryvnias from an entrepreneur.

This was reported by RBK-Ukraine citing SBI.

According to SBI, the fraudsters promised the entrepreneur assistance in winning a tender for construction work in the Lviv region, but he declined their offer. After he independently won the tender, the criminals pretended that they had helped him and began demanding a portion of the profits.

Photo: SBI apprehended a regional council deputy and his accomplice (dbr.gov.ua)

Ultimately, the regional council deputy and his accomplice were caught "in the act" while receiving $25,000 and 190,000 hryvnias.

Both detainees have been formally charged. They face up to 12 years in prison.

"The issue of choosing a preventive measure is being resolved," adds SBI.

As a reminder, RBK-Ukraine reported on how SBI caught a law enforcement officer "in the act" in the Chernivtsi region, who was assisting draft evaders to flee to Romania.