In Ternopil Region, the Director of a Psychoneurological Boarding School Was Exposed for Human Trafficking
In the Ternopil region, law enforcement officers exposed the director of a psychoneurological boarding school, who is suspected of organizing a scheme to exploit the institution's wards. According to the investigation, the residents of the boarding school were systematically sent to forced labor at private farms, and the director of the institution received the money for their work.
As reported by the Ternopil Regional Prosecutor's Office, the director of the institution has been notified of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 149 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — human trafficking.
According to the investigation, the suspect exploited the vulnerable condition of people aged 30 to 79 who have mental disorders. They were involved in work at private farms, construction sites, and cemetery cleaning. For the completed work, the clients paid from 150 to 450 UAH per day, but according to law enforcement, these funds were appropriated by the director of the boarding school.
Investigators established that the clients pre-arranged with the director the type and time of work, handed over the payment to him, after which he instructed the staff to release the residents outside the institution's premises.
Law enforcement documented cases of forced labor and money transfers. During searches, they seized rough records which, according to the investigation, kept track of instances of involving wards in work.
Currently, information about the possible exploitation of at least 24 residents of the psychoneurological boarding school is being verified. The issue of choosing a preventive measure for the suspect is also being decided.
As previously reported by the Judicial and Legal Newspaper, in the ruling in case No. 686/15716/20 dated May 12, 2026, the Criminal Cassation Court of the Supreme Court considered the correct interpretation of the disposition of Article 149 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and the determination of mandatory elements of the crime of human trafficking in cases related to the illegal transfer of a newborn child to other persons, registration of the child to a third party, and establishing the limits of criminal liability for such actions.
The practical significance of this position lies in the Court's attention to the fact that an illegal agreement regarding a child may fall under the crime of human trafficking regardless of the presence of the purpose of exploitation.
This is important for the qualification of cases related to the illegal registration of newborn children, fictitious births, forgery of medical documents, and hidden schemes of transferring children to other persons.
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