Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities have charged former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko with allegedly offering bribes to lawmakers from other parties in exchange for parliamentary votes, according to OCCRP.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) said it uncovered evidence that the leader of a parliamentary faction offered illicit payments to influence votes on specific legislation, adding that charges were being prepared under Ukraine’s Criminal Code.
Olha Postolyuk, a spokeswoman for the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, told Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne on January 14th that Tymoshenko had been charged with offering bribes to members of parliament, OCCRP reported.
NABU alleged that after several lawmakers from President Volodymyr Zelensky’s party were charged in December, Tymoshenko discussed setting up a system of regular payments in return for votes, including instructions on how lawmakers should vote or abstain, and describing it as a long-term arrangement, according to the report.
Tymoshenko served as Ukraine’s prime minister in 2005 and again from 2007 to 2010 and now leads Batkivshchyna, which holds 25 seats in parliament.
Read more at OCCRP