Raising MPs' salaries will not solve the problem of "envelopes" — Radina
She said this in an interview with ZN.UA.
Anastasia Radina emphasised that the practice of so-called "envelopes" for MPs is completely unjustifiable, regardless of the level of official remuneration.
"Envelopes" are not justified by anything. Period. They have been talked about since the mid-2000s, when economic conditions were completely different and the purchasing power of a member of parliament's salary was different," she said.
According to the head of the anti-corruption committee, government officials, including MPs and anti-corruption agency employees, should receive decent wages. At the same time, Radina stressed that raising salaries without the inevitability of punishment will not change the situation.
She noted that the emergence of investigations by anti-corruption agencies after many years of rumours about unofficial payments in parliament is a positive sign.
According to Radina, if a member of parliament does not "trade their subjectivity," they cannot be bought with any payments. Similarly, she said, parliament itself cannot be bought if there is a critical mass of MPs who are not prepared to give up their independence.
Responding to a question about possible new suspicions against MPs in cases involving "envelopes," Radina said that her task is not to predict suspicions, but to ensure the independence of anti-corruption agencies.
According to her, NABU and SAPO must have the necessary resources, independence and be protected from political pressure.
She also noted that the head of the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office should have the right to independently enter information about possible crimes committed by MPs into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations without the approval of the Prosecutor General.
Radina added that the anti-corruption committee under her leadership did not allow legislative pressure on NABU or SAPO. In particular, in 2023, when a suspicion was announced against a then member of the committee and now convicted former MP Andriy Odarchenko, the committee supported the decision to increase the staffing level of NABU.
The committee chair emphasised that institutions are more important than political comfort. If there are grounds, there must be suspicions and investigations — this, she said, is the principle of inevitability of punishment.
The topic of unofficial payments to MPs has been discussed in the public sphere for several years. In particular, back in 2021, MP Anton Polyakov spoke about the "envelopes". According to him, ordinary MPs could receive about $5,000, while committee chairs and their deputies could receive between $10,000 and $15,000.
Later, MP Geo Leros, former head of the President's Office Andriy Bohdan, and MP Hanna Skorokhod also spoke about such payments.
According to the NABU and the SAP, from September to November 2022, individual MPs could receive illegal benefits of $2,000, and from at least August 2025, $5,000.
At the same time, the faction has repeatedly denied these allegations. However, as reported by hromadske with reference to one of the court rulings, the case materials indicate that the alleged criminal organisation could have been created "no later than 2021".
