Ukrainian lawmaker exposed as leading criminal group, anti-corruption agencies say
Editor's note: This story was updated to include additional reporting on the payment of bail.
Anti-corruption agencies and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) uncovered a criminal group led by a lawmaker, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) said on Dec. 5.
Ukrainska Pravda, citing law enforcement sources, reported that the lawmaker is Anna Skorokhod from the For the Future party. She, her assistant, and an accomplice were charged of bribery.
If convicted, the MP may face up to 10 years in prison.
According to the NABU, members of the group offered a business representative to arrange sanctions from Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) against a competitor for $250,000.
The suspects claimed they could bribe officials, including the council's members, to influence sanctions decisions, the statement read.
To guarantee they would get the full amount, the representative was asked to sign a fake loan agreement, the NABU said.
After receiving $125,000, the group allegedly told the business representative it would go to the council's members. But the money was never delivered, as the group "couldn’t find anyone to carry out the illegal actions," according to the agency.
Earlier in the day, Skorokhod's home was being searched by law enforcement officers.
"I see this as direct pressure on the opposition and an attempt to block my political activity," she wrote on social media.
Skorokhod's name was mentioned in tapes as part of the ongoing investigation into Ukraine's largest corruption scandal, involving the state-owned nuclear power monopoly Energoatom. It is unclear if the searches are linked to this case.
In a comment to public broadcaster Suspilne on Dec. 14, Skorokhod's lawyer Oleh Burhela said that the parliamentarian's bail, set by the court at UAH 3,028,000 ($71,500), was paid on Dec. 12 by unspecified "third parties." Skorokhod previously stated in court that she did not have the large sum needed to post the bail payment.
Skorokhod is currently in Kyiv and is confined with the use of an electronic monitoring bracelet. Burhela said that the defense has appealed the use of the monitoring bracelet.
In 2019, Skorokhod was elected to parliament for President Volodymyr Zelensky's Servant of the People party, but she was later expelled. The party's parliamentary leader, David Arakhamia, accused her of trying to bribe other lawmakers, a claim she denied.
In 2020, Skorokhod joined the For the Future party.
