Doctor and entrepreneur in Lviv convicted for faking disability
The Lviv Frantsky District Court found neurologist Olga Popadiuk and entrepreneur Andriy Nechay guilty of attempting to help a conscript illegally cross the border. For $7 thousand, they organized the creation of a fictitious disability certificate, but the plan failed due to changes in the МСЕК system.
The neurologist and fourth municipal polyclinic doctor in Lviv, Olga Popadiuk, and entrepreneur Andriy Nechay, were sentenced for organizing a scheme to obtain fake disability benefits for a conscripted soldier. According to the verdict, which was published on October 20, they were to receive 7 thousand dollars for assisting in illegal border crossing.
According to the investigation, the entrepreneur found a client who wanted to leave Ukraine and offered him the opportunity to obtain a disability status for money. In July 2024, he transferred the funds to other participants in the scheme at the "Merry Roger" restaurant. The doctor coordinated the medical paperwork, including arranging a computer tomography at the fourth municipal polyclinic and entering records into the medical system for appointments and treatments that did not actually take place.
False diagnoses were entered into the medical records, including hypertensive heart disease and cervical spine osteochondrosis. However, it was not possible to obtain disability benefits, as the МСЕК (Medical and Social Expertise Commission) was liquidated and a new procedure for assessing a person's daily functioning was introduced starting from January 1 2025.
The court found both defendants guilty of attempted aggravated assault for obstructing the illegal crossing of the state border. Each was sentenced to five years in prison, but the sentence was suspended for two years with a probationary period. As part of the plea agreements, they also agreed to donate 500 thousand Ukrainian hryvnias to the Ukrainian defense and pay 3,5 thousand hryvnias for expert services. The verdict can be appealed.