Lawyer detained in Odesa over attempt to obtain $300,000 from client

Law enforcement agencies in Odesa have detained a lawyer suspected of attempting to appropriate another person's property through deception. According to the investigation, the lawyer attempted to obtain a total of $315,000 from his client, the head of a local charitable foundation. This was announced by the Office of the Prosecutor General, whose prosecutors are providing procedural supervision in this criminal case.

Promises of influence and demands for money

The investigation established that after searches were conducted within the framework of the criminal proceedings, the lawyer offered the woman his assistance in changing the legal qualification of the criminal offence to a less serious one. The lawyer assured the client that he had the necessary acquaintances and influential connections in the Security Service of Ukraine and the prosecutor's office that would allow him to resolve her problem.

Initially, the man demanded $250,000 for such services, but later increased the demand to $300,000. In addition to the main sum, he offered an additional paid service: for $15,000, he promised to restrict access to court rulings on the conduct of searches, which had been posted in the Unified State Register of Court Decisions.

Mechanism for receiving funds

According to law enforcement information, on 1 October, the lawyer received the aforementioned $15,000. Investigators believe that he used these funds at his own discretion. At the same time, he did not withdraw his demand to hand over the remaining $300,000.

To carry out the financial transaction, the lawyer proposed using a currency exchange point, through which the main sum was planned to be converted into cryptocurrency. On 15 October, the head of the charitable foundation handed the money to the employees of the exchange point. They were carrying out the lawyer's instructions, but, as the investigation notes, were unaware of his probable unlawful intentions.

Detention and qualification of the crime

Immediately after the transfer of funds, law enforcement officers detained the lawyer. He has currently been charged with a completed attempt to appropriate another person's property through deception on an especially large scale. The suspect's actions were qualified under Part 2 of Article 15 and Part 5 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

The issue of choosing a preventive measure for the suspect is still being resolved. It should be noted that, in accordance with Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is considered innocent until their guilt is established by a court's guilty verdict.

Previously, another case in Kyiv was reported, where a lawyer was detained who, according to the investigation, demanded $5 million for assistance in closing criminal proceedings. At that time, the lawyer was detained while receiving $3.8 million.