Controversial lawmaker's forgery case moves to court
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Lawmaker Oleksandr Dubinsky is headed to trial on previously announced charges of falsifying documents intended for an official trip abroad, the State Bureau of Investigation said on Jan. 9. Dubinsky is accused of going on vacation to Italy, Spain, and Croatia instead.
In other proceedings, Dubinsky was charged with treason and taking part in a criminal organization following his arrest in mid-November over working for Russian intelligence services.
Former pro-Russian lawmaker Andrii Derkach and others are also considered suspects in this case. They allegedly colluded to spread false information intended to discredit Ukraine and the West.
The bureau did not explicitly mention Dubinsky by name, but the facts of the case made it clear that he was the individual in question.
An investigation into Dubinsky's unsanctioned foreign trips was first announced in August 2023.
Authorities believe he traveled under the pretext of accompanying his father for medical treatment outside of Ukraine. However, Dubinsky's father went abroad without him and returned to Ukraine before the lawmaker, who allegedly spent several weeks on vacation.
Under martial law in place since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ukrainian men aged 18-60 are prohibited from leaving the country, barring special circumstances. Politicians are allowed to go on official trips.
Dubinsky has also been charged for violating martial law by allegedly helping the brother of his civil partner illegally leave Ukraine.
He is currently in detention, awaiting trial in the treason case.
