From our news desk:

Ukrainian Detectives Detain Bribery Suspect In Presidential Office

Ukrainian anti-corruption detectives on November 12 have detained the head of one of the main departments at the presidential office for allegedly demanding a $300,000 bribe, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) said on Facebook.

The official was arrested while taking half the amount from an individual as payment for assistance in getting a person appointed to a management position at the state-run Naftogaz oil and gas conglomerate.

SAP would only say the suspect is a woman and didn’t name the presidential department where she works.

A former deputy culture minister was also detained along with an unspecified number of other suspects that SAP alleged constituted an “organized crime group.”

The presidential office on Facebook also didn’t name the principal suspect and the department.

“This person has worked in various departments of the presidential administration since 2005,” the presidential office said. “There is no ‘us’ and ‘them’ for the head of state. Corruption must be uprooted: the higher the position of the corrupt individual, the more dangerous are their abusive practices toward the state.”

Based on reporting by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, Censor.net, Gordonua, Novoye Vremya, Interfax, and Ukrayinska Pravda

Will have more on this story soon...

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