The State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) suspects Markushyn of committing a criminal offense under Part 2 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (organization of illegal transportation of persons across the state border of Ukraine). While serving as the mayor of Irpin, he forged documents of the “Ridne Selo” charitable foundation to facilitate the departure of his godfather, Serhii Rosstalnyi, the main contractor for Irpin’s reconstruction, whose companies received 500 million UAH for restoring damaged housing.
On January 24, the court imposed a preventive measure on Markushyn in the form of detention, and on January 27, he was removed from his position as mayor of Irpin. Markushyn is a suspect in 18 criminal cases, including unlawful imprisonment and torture, fraud, document forgery, and embezzlement of the local budget of war-damaged Irpin. In the cases in which he is involved, Markushyn, while in office, threatened witnesses, fired them, and destroyed documents and evidence.
The decision to detain Oleksandr Markushyn, who was removed from his position as mayor of Irpin, prevents him from exerting pressure on more than 50 executive committee employees of the Irpin City Council who testified against him in various law enforcement agencies throughout 2024.
Using his official position, Markushyn systematically pressured witnesses, including dismissing two deputy mayors who testified in criminal cases. He fired a deputy mayor and deliberately reduced the salaries of other witnesses. Witness intimidation also included threats, showing them materials from criminal cases, and making “suggestions” to withdraw testimony, hinting that “everything is under control in the prosecutor’s office.”