The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has detained Serhiy Kuzminykh, a Member of Parliament from the ‘Servant of the People’ party
The Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office has provided details of the case.
According to the investigation, in January 2022, Kuzminykh received 558 thousand hryvnias in unlawful benefits through a trusted associate — this represents 30 per cent of the contract value for the supply of an ultrasound diagnostic system, which Zhytomyr Regional Hospital had concluded with a private company. The funds were transferred to influence hospital officials so that they would declare this particular company the winner of the tender.
Furthermore, investigators claim that Kuzminykh guaranteed that, in future, in return for the same kickback, he would secure funding and the implementation of two further contracts — for the supply of a magnetic resonance imaging system and laparoscopic equipment. The total value of these contracts is over 38 million hryvnias.
The MP’s actions are classified as abuse of influence. He faces a fine or a prison sentence of between 2 and 5 years.
The High Anti-Corruption Court issued an arrest warrant because, over the course of four years, the MP had systematically failed to appear at court hearings. He explained some of his absences by citing official trips abroad — the most recent being to Spain.
The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office has filed a motion requesting that the High Anti-Corruption Court change the preventive measure to remand in custody without the option of bail. The court will consider this today, 29 June, at 11:00.
As a reminder, the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) previously concluded their investigation into the misappropriation of 32 million hryvnias from ‘Ukroboronprom’.
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