Law enforcement officers catch the head of Ternopil Regional Council on a bribe

According to the anti-corruption authorities, the head of the Regional Council, Mykhailo Holovko, and his accomplices demanded a bribe of ₴1.8 million ($490,000).

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine reported this.

The Ternopil region is located in western Ukraine. Since 2020, its Regional Council has been headed by Mykhailo Holovko.

In 2022, the local businessman's company carried out repairs to infrastructure facilities for the region's utilities. These works were accepted, but the Regional Council did not pay for them. Anti-corruption law enforcement officers claim that the head of the Regional Council, Mykhailo Holovko, demanded a kickback — 5-10% of the debt — for the payment. The amount was ₴1.8 million ($490,000).

He was assisted in this by two deputy heads of the Ternopil Military-Civilian Administration. On June 26, they were supposed to receive the third tranche — ₴600,000 ($16,300). They were detained by law enforcement officers.

Currently, criminal proceedings have been initiated under the article on bribery of a person providing public services by a group. The maximum penalty under this article is imprisonment for 8 years with confiscation of property.