NABU and SAPO announce exposure of Yulia Tymoshenko for corruption

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office have reported that the head of a parliamentary faction has been found to be involved in corruption. The case probably concerns Yulia Tymoshenko.

This was reported by the press service of the NABU and the SAPO.

The official NABU statement did not name the person, but a source in the anti-corruption agency told BBC News Ukraine that it was the leader of the Batkivshchyna party and faction, Yulia Tymoshenko.

According to the NABU, the faction leader was caught offering undue benefits to a group of MPs from other factions for voting for or against certain bills.

Yulia Tymoshenko and her representatives have not yet publicly commented on this information. The NABU promised to make the details of the case public later. Meanwhile, Ukrayinska Pravda reported that law enforcement officers are conducting searches in the Kyiv office of the Batkivshchyna party on Turivska Street.

MP Oleksiy Honcharenko also said that the case concerned Tymoshenko. According to him, it is about alleged negotiations on the transition or informal joining of MPs to the Batkivshchyna faction for a monetary reward. According to the MP, these conversations could have been recorded and transferred to the NABU.

The preliminary legal qualification of the case is Article 369, part 4 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - offering, promising or giving an unlawful benefit to an official who holds a particularly responsible position. The sanction of this article provides for a fine or imprisonment for up to four years.

In early January, the court determined preventive measures for MPs suspected of vote trading in the Verkhovna Rada. In particular, Ihor Negulevskyi, an MP from Mykolaiv region, was granted bail in the amount of UAH 30 million and ordered to wear an electronic bracelet.

According to the investigation, on December 27, the NABU and the SAPO reported exposing a corruption scheme in the Verkhovna Rada during an undercover operation. Investigators found that the participants in the scheme received between $2,000 and $20,000 for voting for or against certain bills. On December 29, five MPs were served with suspicion notices.

Анна Бальчінос