Vlasenko claimed that the NABU and the SAP were putting pressure on MPs
Serhiy Vlasenko made this statement in an interview with Olena Dumay on the ‘Dumay’ YouTube channel.
During the interview, Vlasenko was asked whether he saw any signs of law enforcement agencies blackmailing MPs.
In response, he first referred to a period when, in his words, MPs voted for money. Vlasenko stated that this was confirmed by the so-called ‘slush fund of the Party of Regions’, which included payments for votes.
At the same time, speaking about the 9th Parliament, he clarified that he had not witnessed any money being handed over and would not comment on rumours.
“As for the 9th Parliament, I did not witness any money being handed over; I am not aware of it. There are various rumours circulating, but I do not comment on rumours,” said Vlasenko.
Vlasenko then stated that, in his personal view, current MPs are under pressure specifically from NABU and the SAP.
“But the fact that people are currently – this is my personal feeling, my assessment – under immense psychological, media and political pressure from NABU and the SAP in particular is obvious,” he said.
Vlasenko did not name any specific MPs who, in his view, might be subject to such pressure.
According to Vlasenko, NABU and the SAPO suggest that around 50 MPs may have received notices of suspicion or be under investigation by law enforcement agencies.
At the same time, he himself cautioned that these claims have not yet been definitively substantiated.
“If NABU and the SAPO are saying that around 50 MPs have received notices of suspicion today, or something else. But, again, it’s all just up in the air for the time being,” he said.
Vlasenko suggested that MPs who are under prolonged pressure due to criminal proceedings may be persuaded to strike deals with the investigators.
According to him, when pressure is exerted on a person’s relatives or business for several years, and then an offer is made to halt this process in exchange for signing certain documents, this creates a risk of coercion.
“When your relatives are being harassed, when your business is being harassed, and this goes on for 2–3–4 years, then they come and say: ‘Listen, this nightmare can end, but you have to sign something there,’” Vlasenko stated.
Vlasenko also suggested that, in the case of MPs who have already entered into agreements, the public is unaware of all the terms of such arrangements.
He raised the question of whether certain decisions or votes might have been taken under pressure.
“Those MPs who have signed agreements – and we don’t know what agreements they’ve signed – perhaps they voted under pressure?” he said.
Serhiy Vlasenko is a Member of the Ukrainian Parliament who has served several terms, a member of the ‘Batkivshchyna’ parliamentary group, an Honoured Lawyer of Ukraine and the chair of the Verkhovna Rada’s temporary investigative commission on violations in the defence and anti-corruption sectors.
In the interview, he criticised the work of NABU, the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) and the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC), and also spoke about information leaks from law enforcement agencies, the publicity surrounding high-profile cases and the role of media pressure in criminal proceedings.
As reported by ThePublic, Vlasenko, the chair of the TSC, described the actions of NABU and the SAP as a “media show”.
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