Archimandrite Detained in Zakarpattia for Smuggling Man Abroad
Law enforcement officers in Zakarpattia have detained a clergyman suspected of organising illegal border crossings, the regional prosecutor's office and police reported. A source in law enforcement told Ukrainska Pravda that he is a priest of the Uzhhorod-Khust eparchy of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
He is an archimandrite of a local church in the Uzhhorod district, suspected of arranging the illegal transfer of a man liable for military service to Slovakia. Investigators say the 59-year-old churchman, a resident of the village of Hlyboke, looked for men who wanted to cross the border illegally and, for money, organised their transport.
How the scheme worked
After a first failed attempt, the suspect did not give up the scheme. By agreement, the man was to leave the country through the forest rather than a checkpoint. The priest met him at a railway station and drove him towards Velykyi Bereznyi. On the way, the man handed over $15,000. On the outskirts of the village of Strychava the man was dropped off, shown the direction and left to find his own way through the forest towards Slovakia.
He did not get far. At night border guards detained the Kyiv resident near the village of Zabrid in the Uzhhorod district and drew up administrative reports against him.
After that failed attempt the priest again offered to help with an illegal crossing, this time for a lower price of $1,100. During this attempt law enforcement exposed him. On October 14, in a controlled operation, officers detained the suspect at the Uzhok checkpoint in the Uzhhorod district.
Charges and court
The archimandrite is suspected of organising the illegal transfer of people across Ukraine's state border for gain (Part 3 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code). During a search of his home, officers found and seized $4,400, cannabis seeds and hemp plants. An expert examination of the drugs has been ordered.
The court remanded the suspect in custody with the option of bail. According to Ukrainska Pravda, the clergyman has already left pre-trial detention after paying bail of almost 233,000 hryvnias.
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