Key facts
- Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) is investigating a criminal organization.
- The organization is allegedly led by a current and a former Ukrainian lawmaker, with involvement from senior officials in the President's Office.
- The group is accused of soliciting bribes, including a $250,000 offer to influence sanctions against a competitor.
- Lawmaker Anna Skorokhod and her assistant have been charged with bribery.
- Other lawmakers, including Yuriy Kisel, Yevhen Pyvovarov, Ihor Nehulevskyi, and Olga Savchenko, are reportedly suspects in related bribery investigations.
Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) has announced a special operation targeting a criminal organization allegedly led by a current and a former lawmaker, with involvement from senior officials within the President's Office. The group is accused of soliciting bribes, including an offer of $250,000 to arrange sanctions against a business competitor.
Lawmaker Anna Skorokhod and her assistant have been charged with bribery. According to the NABU, the suspects claimed they could influence decisions by members of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) through bribes. Skorokhod has denied the allegations, calling the investigation political pressure. Her bail, set at over UAH 3 million, was paid by unspecified third parties, and she is currently confined with an electronic monitoring bracelet.
Reports also indicate that other lawmakers, including Yuriy Kisel, Yevhen Pyvovarov, Ihor Nehulevskyi, and Olga Savchenko, have been named as suspects in separate bribery investigations. NABU reportedly conducted wiretaps in Kisel's office for over two years. Searches were also carried out at the offices of the Parliamentary Transport and Infrastructure Committee and the headquarters of President Zelensky's ruling party, Servant of the People, though state security guards reportedly attempted to obstruct these searches.
These investigations come amid ongoing concerns about corruption in Ukraine and follow a previous scandal involving embezzlement at the state-owned nuclear power company Energoatom. The current investigations could impact President Zelensky's standing, as a poll indicated nearly 60% of those aware of the Energoatom scandal blamed him.