The head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (CAP) Nazar Kholodnitsky announced the initiation of a criminal case against the deputy from the "Servant of the People" Vyacheslav Medyanik - a member of the Verkhovna Rada committee on legislative support for law enforcement.
“According to Mr. Medyanik, we really received a statement about the crime and such a production (criminal. - RT ) was recorded,” Kholodnitsky said on the talk show “The Right to Power” on the 1 + 1 television channel.
Law enforcers began an investigation due to the telephone correspondence of Medianik, which fell into the sight of television cameras during a meeting of the Rada. In it, the people's deputy allegedly promised the interlocutor, designated as Sasha Yarovoy (presumably, this could be businessman Alexander Yarovoy), "to solve the problem with prosecutors."
Bribes and Bonuses
Earlier, Kholodnitsky wrote on his Facebook page that the SAP in the framework of the criminal case checks the information that appeared on social networks and the media about the bribery of 11 deputies - members of the parliamentary committee on finance, tax and customs policy.
The deputies allegedly received $ 30 thousand for voting against the bill, which introduces a new procedure for evaluating real estate. We are talking about bill No. 2047-d "On Amendments to the Tax Code of Ukraine regarding the elimination of the corruption scheme in the field of registration of information from reports on the valuation of real estate." Information about the bribe appeared in the Telegram channel of the journalist Sonya Koshkina.
Commenting on the scandal that erupted, President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky demanded that members of the financial committee pass a lie detector test. To date, several deputies have passed through the polygraph.
One of them, Alexander Dubinsky, invited to watch a check of journalists. The results of the check showed that the people's representative did not take money, but law enforcement officers and polygraph examiners drew attention to the violations committed during the testing - for example, the presence of strangers in this procedure, which is strictly prohibited. In addition, Dubinsky and other deputies were tested with private polygraphs. Therefore, Kholodnitsky called on the “servants of the people” not to organize a “media show” and to pass a test on a certified polygraph at the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).
Also in the media and social networks of Ukraine there were reports that the "servants of the people" received envelopes with money as an informal "bonus" for work in the Verkhovna Rada.
According to the publication Strana.ua, the practice of cash distribution existed in previous convocations. In this case, the deputies explained in a conversation with reporters the need for “envelope payments” by the dissatisfaction with the official salary, which is about 40 thousand hryvnias (about $ 1.6 thousand).
“The leaders received a lot - 25-50 thousand dollars per hand. Mid-level party leaders — like the deputies of the faction’s head — $ 15,000 each. The rest were distributed in the “top ten” and “five” depending on the rank, status and functionality of the deputy. They paid both the deputies who passed the list and the majority, ”the source quotes.
- The meeting of deputies from the "Servant of the people" chaired by the speaker of the parliament Dmitry Razumkov
- RIA News
Cash for the "remuneration" of deputies is taken from the "party common fund", which is replenished by the oligarch Igor Kolomoisky and other major businessmen of Ukraine, the publication claims. The distribution of "bonuses" is handled by the head of the Presidential Office, Andrei Bogdan, the media writes.
The expert of the Council on Interethnic Relations under the President of Russia Bogdan Bezpalko in an interview with RT called such a scheme “one of the forms of corruption” in the Verkhovna Rada. In his opinion, part of the “rewards” for lobbying for “the right bills” or for voting against “unnecessary initiatives” goes through envelopes.
“Envelopes are just the tip of the iceberg. Most bribes go through suitcases, not envelopes. Rada was and remains a very good place for shadow earnings. And with the renewal of the parliament, the situation has not changed. After all, the political system of Ukraine, built on bribes and kickbacks, has remained the same, ”Bezpalko emphasized.
"The split was originally"
Political analysts interviewed by RT predict an acceleration in the negative dynamics of the ratings of “Servants of the People”, the president and the government amid high-profile corruption scandals. The new Ukrainian government demonstrates its inability to solve the key problems for Ukraine - the establishment of peace in the Donbass, the economic upsurge and the improvement of living standards, analysts point out.
“People hoped that with the change in the personal composition of the regime, changes would occur, but the result was zero. Zelensky’s team and the president himself do not live up to the expectations of voters. Their ratings will fall steadily. Until the end of the year, I do not expect a really deep peak of tens of percent, the popularity of the president and his party will decline gradually, but the dynamics can accelerate by the summer of 2020, ”says Bezpalko.
The expert also believes that along with a decrease in the popularity of the ruling elite of Ukraine, contradictions within the “Servants of the People” will also increase. He stressed that the pro-presidential faction consists of groups that are controlled by "shadow leaders."
“The Zelensky party is split, and there are prerequisites for the institutionalization of its collapse. Nevertheless, I think that now it is beneficial for leaders of deputy groups to maintain nominal unity by resolving contentious issues within the faction, ”Bezpalko explained.
Officially, the “Servant of the people” is divided into 15 intra-faction groups subordinate to the chairman of the faction, David Arahamia. However, as Ukrainian media write, in reality there is another division - into three large associations based on loyalty.
The first group of influence in the “Servant of the people” is represented by deputies, with whom Zelensky is associated with warm personal relations, notes Strana.ua. Basically, it includes the president’s colleagues on the Quarter 95 comedy project. The second group, according to the publication, consists of people of Kolomoisky. In particular, supporters of the oligarch include immigrants from the 1 + 1 television channel - former journalists Alexander Dubinsky and Alexander Tkachenko.
The third group of influence is represented by ex-employees of organizations that are maintained by Western funds, media reported. They are considered the main lobbyists of the conditions that the USA, the European Union and international credit organizations put up for Kiev. Deputies controlled by Kolomoisky call their colleagues “suckers”, pointing to their relationship with the main sponsor - American billionaire George Soros, Strana.ua emphasizes.
The fact that the faction is experiencing problems with maintaining unity is not hidden, and its chairman Arahamia in a conversation with Ukrainian media.
- Deputy Alexander Dubinsky
- © Hennadii Minchenko / ZUMAPRESS.com
Experts believe that the transfer of the political union congress, which was scheduled for the end of October, may also testify to the growth of contradictions within the Servant of the People. It was assumed that during the meeting a new party chairman will be elected instead of Dmitry Razumkov, who is leaving the post. In an interview with Ukrainian Truth, MP Alexander Kornienko said that the event is expected to take place in November.
As explained by RT Deputy Dean of the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs at the Higher School of Economics Andrei Suzdaltsev, “servants of the people” practically do not unite anything. According to him, the party was built on Zelensky’s loyalty and does not have a solid ideological foundation. With the decline in popularity of the president, “centrifugal tendencies” in the political association will increase.
“In Ukraine, parties are often created around a political leader without any ideology. As soon as he loses authority in society, people run away from him and often join the ranks of competitors. It is difficult to predict whether the “Servants of the People” faction will fall apart or not, but we can definitely say that Zelensky’s party will face severe trials, ”said Suzdaltsev.
The expert noted that Zelensky’s party is suffering not only from corruption and lack of factional unity. The deputy corps, like the entire team of the president, is experiencing a huge lack of intellectual potential. In addition, according to the interlocutor of RT, the new convocation of the Rada acts in the interests of sponsors and "their wallet."
“The split in the Servant of the People” was originally. Zelensky was able to let his friends into parliament, but he did not control most of the flow of candidates for deputies. As a result, people of Kolomoisky and other oligarchs got into the Rada. Zelensky for them, in fact, no one. And I don’t see any serious levers of pressure on these groups of people’s representatives, ”summed up Suzdaltsev.