Servant of the People leader defends MP named by Tymoshenko in corruption case

Davyd Arakhamiia, leader of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction, has said Ihor Kopytin, an MP whom Batkivshchyna party leader Yuliia Tymoshenko claimed to have spoken with, is one of the most disciplined members of parliament.

Source: Arakhamiia in a comment provided to Ukrainska Pravda by the Servant of the People's press service

Quote: "We are not aware of this [the conversation between Kopytin and Tymoshenko – ed.]. Based on statistics on his attendance at plenary sessions and participation in votes, all we can say about Ihor Kopytin is that he is one of the most disciplined MPs and a patriot of his faction."

Background:

• On the evening of Tuesday 13 January, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) reported that they had uncovered corruption involving the leader of a parliamentary faction. Sources told Ukrainska Pravda that the case concerns Yuliia Tymoshenko.
• The anti-corruption bodies stated that a leader of the parliamentary faction had been exposed for allegedly offering unlawful benefits to several MPs from other factions in exchange for voting for or against specific draft laws.
• The case has been classified under Article 369.4 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (offering, promising or giving an unlawful benefit).
• On the morning of 14 January, sources in political circles told Ukrainska Pravda that anti-corruption agencies had served Tymoshenko with a notice of suspicion.
• Later, Tymoshenko confirmed that searches had been carried out at her party's office but said she rejected all accusations. She later stated that the searches at her office had begun at 21:30 on 13 January, when she was alone on the premises. She claimed that anti-corruption officers had arrived in five minibuses, acted without a court warrant and had not allowed her to call a lawyer. They also searched the locked office of Serhii Vlasenko, an MP from her political party.
• NABU and SAPO officially announced that Yuliia Tymoshenko had been served with a notice of suspicion over allegations of offering unlawful benefits to MPs on a regular basis.
• In the recordings released by NABU, Tymoshenko is heard discussing with an unidentified MP a payment system for specific votes in the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament).

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