Ukrainian Ex-MP Barvinenko Sentenced for Illegal Compensation Scheme

The High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine has approved a plea agreement between the prosecutor and Vitaliy Barvinenko, a former member of the Ukrainian parliament and now the head of Odesa District Council.

This was reported by the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.

According to the agreement, the former MP was found guilty of illegally receiving UAH 613,000 in compensation for renting an apartment in the capital, i.e. committing a crime under Part 2 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The losses caused by the former MP's illegal actions were compensated in full.

The court sentenced the person to three years of imprisonment with a one-year disqualification to hold public office and a fine of UAH 17,000.

At the same time, the court released Vitaliy Barvinenko from serving the main sentence with probation, setting a probationary period of 1 year.

Before the sentence enters into force, the former MP undertakes to transfer UAH 1.5 million to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine (UNITED24 project). In addition, UAH 1 million 3 thousand will be transferred to the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which was paid as bail for the person.

In December 2024, the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine appointed Vitalii Barvinenko, the head of the Odesa District Council, as a lawyer from the Northern Interregional Center for Free Legal Aid.

The previous lawyer of the head of the district council did not appear at the court hearings scheduled for November 27, December 5, 11 and 17 because he was undergoing long-term treatment.

In February 2024, theprosecutor of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office served a notice of suspicion to the former MP, who now heads the district administration, of illegally receiving UAH 613,000 in compensation for renting an apartment in the capital.

Detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine found that despite having his own apartment in the capital, the MP continued to use a hotel room of the Kyiv Hotel Complex without legal grounds. As a result, from September 2016 to March 2019, he illegally received more than UAH 613 thousand in compensation for renting housing.

In May 2024, the High Anti-Corruption Court upheld the indictment against Vitalii Barvinenko, head of the Odesa District Council. The HACC rejected the motion of Vitaliy Barvinenko 's lawyer to return the indictment to the prosecutor in the case of illegal compensation.

Earlier, the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine imposed a fine on Vitaliy Barvinenko and ordered him to be brought to Kyiv for a court hearing.

The High Anti-Corruption Court also imposed a bail of one million hryvnias on Vitaliy Barvinenko, the head of Odesa District Council.

Кирило Бойко