The SBI could not say whether the head of the psychiatric hospital, who was previously called the «organizer» of the scheme to make money from evacuees in Mykolaiv, was suspected

The State Bureau of Investigation is still investigating the case of exposing a large-scale scheme to make money on unfit applicants for military service at the Mykolaiv Regional Mental Health Center, which was reported in August.

Serhii Koziura, the head of the first investigative department of the State Criminal Investigation Department in the Mykolaiv region, said this today, December 12, during a press conference, answering questions from a NikVesti correspondent.

As previously reported by the State Bureau of Investigation, medical documents with fictitious mental illnesses, which were made at the Mykolaiv Regional Mental Health Center, cost 1.5 thousand US dollars. According to the investigation, the accused issued such fictitious documents for more than 100,000 US dollars every month.

On August 16, the SBI reported on its official website that the «business» of issuing «false» certificates of unfitness for military service was organized by the director of the Mykolaiv Regional Mental Health Center. This position was held by Viktor Taran.

Screenshot from the official website of the DRB

At that time, suspicion was announced and a preventive measure was chosen for the policeman who was responsible for searching for evaders. However, suspicions were not handed over and a preventive measure was chosen for the doctors who participated in the scheme of illegal earnings, including Viktor Taran.

After 4 months of investigation, the SBI did not provide an answer about the procedural status of Viktor Taran.

«There was indeed information about the nature of the detection of corruption in this area. I would like to note that this criminal proceeding is at the stage of pre-trial investigation, certain persons have been notified of the suspicion. Based on the results of the investigation, it will be possible to make a separate request and obtain information about a certain number of persons and the charges brought against them. The pre-trial investigation has not been completed and it is inappropriate to announce the number of persons, suspicions and qualifications of their actions,» Serhii Koziura explained.

Serhii Kozyura, an investigator of the Department of Technical Investigations of the State Criminal Investigation Department in the Mykolaiv region

The law enforcement officer noted that the investigation is at the pre-trial stage, and the objectivity of the process requires refraining from public statements about the number of persons, suspects and their qualifications. Serhii Koziura noted that the duration of the pre-trial investigation is limited and cannot exceed one year from the date of the first notification of suspicion.

«While the pre-trial investigation continues, all persons are exposed, suspicions change, facts are established. The duration of the pre-trial investigation is counted from the first notification of suspicion from two months, but not more than one year. There was a publication about the arrest of a law enforcement officer, we learned other circumstances during the pre-trial investigation, which is still ongoing,» he said.

On August 18, the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, Vitali Kim, announced that Viktor Taran, acting director of the Mykolaiv Regional Mental Health Center, will remain in office until the court's verdict. However, already on August 23, the director of the Mykolaiv Regional Mental Health Center Viktor Taran was sent on unpaid leave until the end of his employment contract — November 15, 2023.

Previously, former director of the Mykolaiv Regional Infectious Disease Hospital, non-factional deputy of the regional council, Svitlana Fedorova, believes that after the disclosure of a scheme to make money on the production of fake medical certificates for fraudsters, the regional medical leadership should resign.

The deputy head of Mykolayiv RMA, Yurii Hranaturov, said that the corrupt scheme of making money from fraudsters in the regional mental health center exposed by law enforcement officers is an isolated case in the medical field of the region.

He also added that the State Bureau of Investigation will conduct an additional check at the Mykolaiv Regional Mental Health Center to find out whether other doctors are involved in the corruption scheme.