“The higher anti-corruption court started the session with the selection of preventive measure for People’s Deputy Yury Kisel. He stated that there were no bribes for the “necessary” vote. At the same time, he admitted the existence of a group in the WhatsApp messenger, in which there are 22 deputies – according to him, none of them received bribes. The prosecutor submitted a request that the consideration of the selection of a preventive measure be conducted in closed session. The defense also asked for it. The court decided to hold the session in closed session.”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
He is one of the five deputies who were suspected by NABU and SAP of being members of an organized criminal group that operated in the Verkhovna Rada and ensured that deputies received illegal benefits for “necessary” voting.
The prosecutor submitted a request that the consideration of the choice of preventive measure be conducted in closed session. The defense also asked for it.
The court decided to hold the session in closed session.
The day before, the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine reported the suspicion to five people’s deputies of Ukraine, all of whom were served with petitions for the selection of precautionary measures.
According to NABU and SAP, suspicions were handed over to an organized criminal group that operated in the Verkhovna Rada and ensured that deputies received illegal benefits for “necessary” voting. NABU claims that in order to organize votes, group members sent instructions with the numbers of draft laws in a specially created WhatsApp messenger group, and after the votes, funds were systematically transferred to individual deputies.
The SAP clarified that the actions of deputies are qualified under Article 368 of the Criminal Code – acceptance of an offer, promise or receipt of an illegal benefit by an official.
SAP reports that the distribution of these funds, as a rule, was carried out every Thursday at the beginning of the following month based on the results of the execution of the instructions of the organizer, given both personally and through other group members, for the previous month.
According to the results of the conducted investigative and secret investigative (search) actions, it was recorded that from November to December of this year, a member of the specified organized group – a People’s Deputy of Ukraine received illegal benefits in the amount of at least 145,000 US dollars, with the provision of its further distribution among other People’s Deputies of Ukraine, the SAP added.
NABU and SAP do not name the deputies.
Earlier, the publication ZN.UA, with reference to its sources in law enforcement agencies, reported that NABU announced suspicion against the fifth People’s Deputy, a member of the “Servant of the People” faction, Mykhailo Laba.
According to the media, other representatives of “Servants of the People” – Yevhen Pyvovarov, Ihor Negulevskyi, Yuriy Kisiel and Olga Savchenko – were previously suspected in this case.
RFE/RL has reached out to them for comment. People’s deputy Yevhen Pyvovarov wrote that he would not comment, the proceedings are ongoing, others did not respond.
Mykhailo Laba told us on his telegram page that he plans to get acquainted with the materials of the case, but he is already convinced of the groundlessness of the accusations.
The pre-trial investigation in the case continues.