Skip to content
Edit post

Media: Lawmaker suspected of attempting to bribe top officials released on bail

by Martin Fornusek November 29, 2023 3:52 PM 2 min read
Serhii Labaziuk, Nov. 21, 2019. (Khmelnytskyi Oblast Administration)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight.

Become a member Support us just once

Serhii Labaziuk, a lawmaker suspected of attempting to bribe a minister and another high-ranking official in exchange for reconstruction contracts, was released from custody on $1.1 million bail, Suspilne reported on Nov. 29.

He is prohibited from traveling outside of Kyiv and Khmelnytskyi Oblast and is mandated to come to the court when summoned as the investigation is ongoing.

The lawmaker was put into custody from Nov. 28 until Jan. 21, 2024, with the alternative of bail. It is unclear who paid for Labaziuk's release.

Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies charged Labaziuk on Nov. 21 with attempting to bribe Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov and Mustafa Nayyem, the head of the State Agency for Reconstruction and Infrastructure Development.

Labaziuk allegedly requested Kubrakov to grant infrastructure reconstruction contracts to the lawmaker's company worth Hr 1 billion ($27 million), offering a "reward" of 3%-5% of the value of each contract.

He is also suspected of attempting to bribe Nayyem with $150,000 via a proxy to receive a contract worth Hr 50 million ($1.4 million) for bridge reconstruction work. Another lawmaker, Andrii Odarchenko, is also currently under investigation for attempting to bribe Nayyem.

Both Kubrakov and Nayyem cooperated with authorities in Labaziuk's case and contributed to the investigation, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office said.

Labaziuk has been a member of the parliament since 2012.

He is a member of the For the Future faction and sits on the agrarian and land policy committee.

Judicial reform in limbo as only few tainted judges are fired or convicted
On the tenth anniversary of the pro-Western EuroMaidan Revolution, the Ukrainian parliament approved the first reading of a bill that effectively destroys one of the key tools of the ongoing judicial reform, the Public Integrity Council. The council is an independent civil society watchdog that ass…

News Feed

11:14 PM

Romania denies downing Russian drones over Ukraine.

Videos on social media that purport to show Romanian air defense units shooting down Russian attack drones above Ukraine are spreading a false narrative, Romania's Defense Ministry said in a statement on July 26.
Ukraine Daily
News from Ukraine in your inbox
Ukraine news
Please, enter correct email address
3:38 PM

Russian ex-deputy defense minister arrested on corruption charges.

In his previous position, former Russian Deputy Defense Minister Dmitry Bulgakov was in charge of the military's logistics chains during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. His dismissal was widely seen as a response to the logistic failures that accompanied the early months of Russia's all-out war.
11:31 AM

Сeasefire would leave 25% of Ukraine under Russian control, ambassador says.

"Many countries have proposed the idea of a ceasefire, but no one thinks about what it means. Some 25% of Ukrainian territory would remain under Russian control, which means buying time for Russia to strengthen its capabilities and resume its attacks on Ukraine," Ambassador of Ukraine to Turkey Vasyl Bodnar said.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.