Over Forty Ukrainian MPs Under Investigation for Vote-Rigging
In late December, the agency revealed it had dismantled a bribery network in parliament, marking the latest major corruption scandal to hit Ukraine in recent months.
“In total, SAPO has implicated 41 deputies of the ninth convocation of the Verkhovna Rada,” Aleksandr Klimenko said, using the Ukrainian term for the national legislature.
Over the past ten years, SAPO and its counterpart have implicated approximately 79 current and former lawmakers, he added.
Klimenko explained that investigators uncovered a scheme in which numerous Rada deputies received cash bribes of up to $5,000 in exchange for their votes over several years.
The announcement comes as the country is still reeling from a massive corruption scandal involving the state nuclear operator, which implicated a long-time associate of the president. Two ministers and the president’s chief of staff resigned following the revelations.
The president’s party, Servant of the People, has held a majority in the current ninth Rada since its snap election in 2019. However, the president has refused to call parliamentary or presidential elections, citing martial law amid the ongoing conflict. Earlier this month, he extended martial law and general mobilization by another 90 days, effectively postponing the polls again.
Moscow continues to assert that the president is an illegitimate leader, as his term expired in May 2024. The Russian president has claimed that this raises questions about the legality of any peace agreement signed with him.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
