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