The High Anti-Corruption Court has found former MP Derkach guilty of treason: his assets are to be confiscated
This was reported from the courtroom by the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.
Back in 2023, anti-corruption authorities claimed that the former MP had received at least 567,000 dollars from Russian law enforcement and intelligence agencies, in return for which he undermined diplomatic relations with the US, as well as hindering Ukraine’s integration into the European Union and NATO.
During the court proceedings, the prosecution argued that in 2019–2020, Derkach regularly met in Moscow with representatives of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, and subsequently held press conferences to discredit Ukraine, according to Transparency International Ukraine.
However, his lawyers argued that the former MP’s actions did not exceed the scope of his parliamentary powers, and considered the allegation of collaboration with representatives of the Russian General Staff to be unproven. They also cited alleged violations during the pre-trial investigation and rejected some of the evidence as inadmissible.
Despite this, the court found him guilty of treason and illicit enrichment and sentenced him to 15 years’ imprisonment and the full confiscation of all his assets. In addition, he was barred from holding office in state or local government bodies for a period of three years.
Who is Andriy Derkach?
Andriy Derkach has been a Member of the Ukrainian Parliament since 1998. He is the son of a KGB general and studied at the Academy of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation.
Derkach was elected to the Verkhovna Rada representing the political forces ‘For a United Ukraine!’, the Socialist Party of Ukraine and the Party of Regions. In 2019, he was elected in constituency 159 (Sumy Oblast) as an independent candidate.
In December 2019, Derkach met with Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudolph Giuliani. As a result of the investigation into Trump’s impeachment, it emerged that Giuliani was one of the architects of the so-called informal channel of US foreign policy regarding Ukraine. This channel sought to put pressure on the newly elected Ukrainian authorities to announce (and, possibly, launch) investigations into Burisma and the Bidens — both senior and junior.
In 2020, the United States imposed personal sanctions on Derkach for interfering in its electoral process. The US National Counterintelligence and Security Centre indicated that Andriy Derkach could be used by the Russian side to interfere in the US presidential election.
Derkach is also accused in the US of a series of financial crimes, for which he faces up to 30 years in prison.
In June 2022, the SBU uncovered a Russian spy network intended to assist the occupiers in seizing Ukraine. According to the investigation, Andriy Derkach was among those involved. The MP was placed on a wanted list, and an investigating judge at the High Anti-Corruption Court authorised Derkach’s arrest.
In January 2023, Zelenskyy stripped Andriy Derkach of his citizenship on the basis of evidence prepared by the Security Service and the State Migration Service. Later, the Verkhovna Rada stripped Derkach of his parliamentary seat.
Meanwhile, Derkach turned up in Russia, where he became a senator for the Astrakhan region and joined the Security and Defence Committee of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation. He was subsequently also awarded the title of Hero of Russia.
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