Key facts
- The High Anti-Corruption Court on November 4 ordered acting Prosecutor General Anton Kovalskyi to open a case into an alleged vote buying scheme involving Arakhamia.
- Arakhamia has denied the accusations of wrongdoing.
- The Anti-Corruption Action Center has criticized Kovalskyi for refusing to open the investigation so far.
- Ukrainian law gives the prosecutor general exclusive authority to register alleged crimes involving members of parliament, a required step for NABU to investigate.
- Five lawmakers from Zelensky's Servant of the People party were charged in the case in December, including Yurii Kisel, head of the parliamentary transport committee.
- The Prosecutor General's Office refused to open a case against Arakhamia in February following a complaint by anti-corruption NGO Mezha.
Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office said on November 13 that it had received a High Anti-Corruption Court ruling ordering a corruption investigation into David Arakhamia, head of President Volodymyr Zelensky's parliamentary faction. The office said the ruling, received on November 12, will be reviewed under established procedure, and no investigation has been opened.
The High Anti-Corruption Court on November 4 ordered acting Prosecutor General Anton Kovalskyi to open a case into an alleged vote buying scheme in parliament involving Arakhamia. The lawmaker has denied the accusations of wrongdoing. The Anti-Corruption Action Center, an independent watchdog, has criticized Kovalskyi for refusing to open the investigation so far.
Arakhamia has played a key role in securing votes for key legislation and has increased his influence since the resignation of Zelensky's then chief of staff Andriy Yermak in 2025. Some analysts and lawmakers describe him as the second most influential person in Ukraine. The acting prosecutor general's approval is necessary for the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) to investigate Arakhamia, as Ukrainian law gives the prosecutor general exclusive authority to register alleged crimes involving members of parliament.
"For now, I can only confirm that the Prosecutor General's Office received the High Anti-Corruption Court's ruling on Nov. 12," Mariana Hayovska, a spokesperson for the Prosecutor General's Office, told the Kyiv Independent. "It will be reviewed in accordance with the procedure established by law."