The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine has announced the suspicion against a member of the Verkhovna Rada. According to law enforcement, the investigation has established the activities of an organized criminal group led by the elected official. Preliminary data indicates that members of this group offered a business representative assistance in imposing sanctions by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) on a competitor’s company for $250,000.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Scheme for obtaining illegal benefits
According to NABU, the suspects assured that they had the ability to influence the adoption of sanction decisions and to transfer money to government officials, including members of the NSDC. To guarantee the receipt of the entire amount of illegal benefits, the company representative was forced to write a receipt for allegedly borrowing funds. After the first part of the sum – $125,000 – was transferred, the “client” was informed that this money would be handed over to NSDC officials. However, as the investigation revealed, the funds were never transferred to the officials, as the perpetrators failed to find a person willing to engage in illegal activities.
Details of the case and Anna Skorokhod’s reaction
In addition to the deputy, suspicion under the Criminal Code article regarding the offer, promise, or provision of illegal benefits to a public official has also been announced against her assistant and another accomplice, NABU notes. The names of the suspects are not officially disclosed, but according to media reports citing sources in law enforcement, it concerns the deputy from the “For the Future” party, Anna Skorokhod.
Anna Skorokhod herself confirmed that investigative actions are being conducted at her residence and commented on the situation in her own Telegram channel:
“I have nothing to hide; my activities are transparent. However, the timing and context of these events lead to unequivocal conclusions: I see this as direct pressure on the opposition and an attempt to block my political activities due to my principled stance.”
No official statements regarding the announcement of suspicion have been made by Skorokhod so far. It is known that in 2019, Anna Skorokhod was part of the “Servant of the People” faction but was expelled due to a vote that contradicted the party’s position.