The leader of a parliamentary group is to stand trial for offering bribes to members of the Ukrainian parliament
The NABU and the SAPO have served notices of suspicion on members of an organised criminal group which, according to the investigation, operated within the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and facilitated the receipt of unlawful benefits by members of parliament in exchange for voting in a certain way.
According to the investigation, the group had a hierarchical structure and a clear division of roles. It included serving members of the Ukrainian parliament.
Investigators believe that the group’s activities were coordinated by one of the MPs.
To organise the votes, group members sent instructions with the numbers of the draft laws in a specially created WhatsApp group.
After the votes, funds were systematically transferred to individual MPs.
The NABU and the SAPO reported that five Ukrainian MPs are suspects in the case.
All suspects were served with a motion for the imposition of preventive measures.
The actions of those involved were classified under Part 3 of Article 28 and Part 4 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
As previously reported by ThePublic, on 12 May, the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court dismissed the defence’s appeal against the investigating judge’s refusal to revoke the notice of suspicion. The court concluded that the witness statements, together with other evidence, in particular the funds seized during the search, correspondence and investigation materials, are sufficient to justify suspicion at this stage of the proceedings.
