Ternopil Regional Council head who vowed to expel UOC caught taking bribe

Head of the Ternopil Regional Council Mykhailo Holovko. Photo: tor.gov.ua

On June 26, 2023, NABU detained the head of the Ternopil Regional Council, Mykhailo Holovko, who promised to expel the UOC from the Pochaiv Lavra and hand it over to the “Ukrainian Church.” The detention was reported by NABU's press service.

According to the bureau, the official demanded almost UAH 1.8 million from the volunteer for signing certificates of completed works for the construction and repair of municipal facilities.

Holovko and two deputy heads of the Ternopil Regional Military Administration were detained during the transfer of the third tranche, amounting to more than UAH 600,000.

“Despite the fact that the entrepreneur was engaged in volunteer work and helped the army, the authorities still demanded that he pay a bribe,” NABU noted.

The detainees are expected to be served with notices of suspicion under Part 4 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The article provides for up to eight years in prison.

As the UOJ reported, the head of the Ternopil Regional Council, Mykhailo Holovko, said that he would find a way to "drive out the UOC" if the Pochaiv Lavra was handed over to the regional community.

The UOJ also wrote that law enforcement officers detained the organizer of the seizure of churches in the Kyiv region on suspicion of extortion.

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