Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court issued an arrest warrant for lawmaker Yaroslav Dubnevych on charges that he embezzled Hr 93 million ($2.5 million), the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) reported on Nov. 2.
Lawmaker Dubnevych was accused of taking part in a scheme, along with eight others, to make purchases on behalf of the state railway operator Ukrzalizntysia at significantly inflated prices, and then pocketing the remain.
In addition, Dubnevych is a suspect in another corruption case involving the illegal seizure of more than Hr 2.1 billion ($58 million) worth of state-owned natural gas, as well as attempting to launder the ill-gotten gains.
The court decided to issue an international warrant for Dubnevych's arrest because he failed to show up for a previous hearing on Oct. 26.
The prosecutors alleged that Dubnevych had crossed the border on Oct. 8. It is unclear how he left Ukraine in the first place because there is no record of his exit.
Dubnevych's whereabouts are currently unknown, and the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) was notified of the warrant, but they also did not know where he was.
While corruption remains Ukrainians' primary concern besides the war, a majority have also expressed optimism about the progress of the government's fight against it.
Oleksandr Kalitenko
