The mayor of Sumy, Oleksandr Lysenko, was suspended from office for two months

The higher anti-corruption court suspended Oleksandr Lysenko from the post of mayor of Sumy for two months.

The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutorʼs Office, which requested his suspension, announced this on October 9.

On October 2, Lysenko, together with the director of the infrastructure department of the Sumy region, was exposed for demanding and receiving a bribe of 2.13 million hryvnias from entrepreneurs. If entrepreneurs refused to pay a bribe, their business was allegedly threatened with artificial obstacles.

• On October 4, the High Anti-Corruption Court arrested Lysenko with an alternative bail of 3 million hryvnias, he later posted bail and was released from the pre-trial detention center. Lysenko stated in the courtroom that he did not receive funds either during the search or during the detention.
• The director of the infrastructure department of the city of Sumy, Zhurba, was also sent to the pre-trial detention center for two months with the possibility of a bail of more than 1.4 million hryvnias.