Fugitive MP from Odesa has been working for Russians for three years, but has not lost his mandate

For more than three years now, Odesa City Council deputy Bohdan Hihanov has been in Russia, working for Russian companies and actively spreading anti-Ukrainian propaganda. Despite this, he is still officially a deputy.

This is stated in the investigation of journalists from Slidstvo.Info.

Hihanov was elected to the city council in 2020 from the now-banned pro-Russian party OPFL. For more than three years, he has not attended sessions, held receptions, or filed declarations. Instead, the journalists found out that he lives in the Tyumen region of Russia, regularly flies to Moscow and probably has Russian citizenship.

According to the investigation, on March 17, 2023, Giganov received a Russian passport in the city of Noyabrsk. Confirmation of this was found on the Russian state portal, an analog of Ukraine's Diya. He used this document for air travel in Russia. His electronic reservations indicated the same email address that was previously associated with his Ukrainian passport.

Journalists also found out that Giganov worked for several Russian companies. In particular, he held senior positions in advertising, securities, and social services firms. He is currently the CEO of Narrativ PRO, a Moscow-based advertising agency.

All these facts indicate that the MP actually lives in Russia and is integrated into its system. But formally, his powers in the Odesa City Council remain valid.

Lawyers explain that even if a deputy has Russian citizenship, this does not automatically mean the loss of his mandate. For this to happen, the President of Ukraine must officially terminate his citizenship. Another ground for deprivation of powers is leaving for permanent residence abroad, but it is difficult to prove this without official documents.

The law also stipulates that if a deputy misses more than half of the meetings of the council and commissions during the year, he or she can be recalled. But in this case, there is a problem: the party that nominated Hihanov, the OPFL, is banned and its governing bodies have been liquidated. That is, there is virtually no one to initiate the recall.

The only option currently available is to appeal to the President with a request to terminate his citizenship. After that, the MP automatically loses his or her mandate. Such an appeal can be submitted by anyone, including deputies or the leadership of the city council.

Odesa City Council Secretary Ihor Koval has already stated that he will report the situation to Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov. They will decide how to officially launch the procedure for depriving Giganov of his deputy status.

Ірина Глухова