A high-profile corruption scandal is escalating in the Zhytomyr region around the mayor of Berdychiv, Serhiy Orlyuk
According to law enforcement officials, the mayor is under investigation on suspicion of systematic extortion and receiving illegal benefits. By court order, he was temporarily detained with the possibility of posting bail, which caused a wide resonance in local circles and led to further investigation. According to information provided by the Department of Strategic Investigations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and the Zhytomyr Regional Prosecutor's Office, the investigation process began in the spring of 2024. The focus of attention was on one of the local entrepreneurs who tried to agree with the mayor on the placement of temporary commercial facilities on the territory of the community. At the initial stages of negotiations, the mayor allegedly offered his services for money, which was later confirmed by investigators and operatives. According to the data, the entrepreneur and his representatives met with Serhiy Orlyuk repeatedly to discuss the terms of licensing and approval of permits for trade. During these meetings, the mayor allegedly demanded "fees" for assistance in accelerating the approval process. According to sources, in May 2025, the mayor announced a specific amount - one thousand US dollars for each permit for the placement of temporary structures. This meant that the company had to pay Serhiy Orlyuk significant amounts of money to obtain a positive decision and approval for the placement of temporary benches, bus stops or other commercial facilities in certain locations in the city. Based on the collected evidence, on June 20, operatives of the Strategic Investigations Department in Zhytomyr region and investigators of the regional police exposed the mayor with two thousand dollars of illegal gain. The arrest took place right during the bribe taking — law enforcement officers recorded how the official accepted the amount that was transferred to him as part of a criminal transaction. After that, based on the collected evidence, the mayor was officially suspected under Part Three of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — “Acceptance of an offer, promise or receipt of an illegal benefit by an official.” This provides for very serious criminal liability, including the imposition of imprisonment for up to ten years with confiscation of property and the possibility of deprivation of the right to hold public office for a period of up to three years. Taking into account all the circumstances, the court decided to apply a preventive measure — detention with the possibility of posting a bail of 240 thousand hryvnias. At the same time, prosecutorial structures emphasize that events of this scale indicate the systemic nature of corruption schemes among local authorities and emphasize the importance of combating this phenomenon. The investigation is ongoing, and to date there are no final conclusions regarding the full extent of the mayor's corrupt activities. However, this case has already become a clear indication that even in high positions there is a strong possibility of being held accountable for abuses and bribery. The local community and the public are waiting for a fair investigation and do not deny the need for transparency and real mechanisms for controlling the activities of local government leaders.