Acting head of Ukrnafta department convicted of attempting to bribe police

Court ruling on oil company official

The Pechersk District Court of Kyiv handed down a verdict against Oleh Olehovych Deberina, who held the position of acting head of the business transformation department of the joint-stock company "Ukrnafta". The court managed to prove his guilt in offering an improper benefit to law enforcement representatives, which is classified under Part 1 of Article 369 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

As punishment, the court imposed a fine of 17,000 hryvnia. This decision can be appealed to the Kyiv Court of Appeal within 30 days.

Circumstances of the incident at the intersection

The events that led to the criminal proceedings took place in the night from 11 to 12 April 2025. A patrol team stopped a grey Tesla Model Y at the intersection of Lesya Ukrainka Boulevard and General Almazov Street in the Pechersk district of the capital.

During the check, police found that the driver had run a red light and showed external signs of alcohol intoxication.

Attempt to avoid liability

Oleh Deberina refused to take a breathalyser test on a "Drager" device or to be sent to a medical facility. Understanding the threat of administrative proceedings for violating traffic rules (Part 2 of Article 122 of the Code of Administrative Offences) and driving a vehicle while intoxicated (Part 1 of Article 130 of the Code of Administrative Offences), he decided to avoid the consequences with money.

Initially, the defendant offered the patrol officers 10,000 hryvnia, and later increased the amount to 15,000, so that the police would not draw up protocols. Law enforcement officers warned him of criminal liability for such an act and called an investigative and operational group.

After this, Deberina was detained, the relevant administrative protocols were drawn up, and the fact of the bribe offer was documented.

Defendant's position and court's arguments

During the court hearing, Oleh Deberina fully admitted his guilt and expressed sincere repentance. He explained that his motive was the desire to retain his driving licence.

The court took into account several mitigating circumstances: sincere repentance, the absence of aggravating circumstances, and the fact that the defendant had no prior criminal record.

Considering these factors, the court imposed the minimum fine amount — 1,000 non-taxable minimums of citizens' income, which is equivalent to 17,000 hryvnia.

This incident involving a Tesla driver who attempted to bribe patrol officers had previously been reported by the capital's law enforcement agencies. Now, the judicial instance has officially confirmed the guilt of the "Ukrnafta" official in this case.