A member of the Ukrainian parliament has been accused by authorities of embezzling more than £220,000, the BBC reports.
Andriy Klochko, a member of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Servant of the People party, allegedly purchased assets far exceeding his income, according to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU).
NABU did not publicly release the identity of the MP, however, Klochko had been named as the defendant by the Interfax Ukraine news agency and other Ukrainian publications.
According to a statement from NABU, the MP obtained assets valued at 25 million hryvnias (£507,000) between 2020 and 2021, despite the fact that at that time, his and his spouse's total stated income and savings were just 14 million hryvnias (£284,000).
According to the prosecution, that left an inexplicable gap of 11 million hryvnas (£223,000).
A joint investigation with the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine revealed that the Member of Parliament had acquired two automobiles—a Tesla and a Mercedes-Benz—in addition to three plots of land near Kyiv, five apartments in the Ukrainian capital, and two additional properties.
NABU asserted that the member of parliament registered the majority of these assets with close relatives in order "to conceal their ownership" while maintaining complete control over them.
The accusations of corruption against Ukrainian authorities have long plagued the country, making it difficult for Zelenskyy to portray Ukraine as a Western democracy on the rise and pursue military assistance.
According to an NGO Transparency International corruption perception index, Ukraine was placed 104 out of 180 nations in 2023, a rise of 12 spots from the year before.
Andriy Klochko, a member of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Servant of the People party, allegedly purchased assets far exceeding his income, according to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU).
NABU did not publicly release the identity of the MP, however, Klochko had been named as the defendant by the Interfax Ukraine news agency and other Ukrainian publications.
According to a statement from NABU, the MP obtained assets valued at 25 million hryvnias (£507,000) between 2020 and 2021, despite the fact that at that time, his and his spouse's total stated income and savings were just 14 million hryvnias (£284,000).
According to the prosecution, that left an inexplicable gap of 11 million hryvnas (£223,000).
A joint investigation with the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine revealed that the Member of Parliament had acquired two automobiles—a Tesla and a Mercedes-Benz—in addition to three plots of land near Kyiv, five apartments in the Ukrainian capital, and two additional properties.
NABU asserted that the member of parliament registered the majority of these assets with close relatives in order "to conceal their ownership" while maintaining complete control over them.
The accusations of corruption against Ukrainian authorities have long plagued the country, making it difficult for Zelenskyy to portray Ukraine as a Western democracy on the rise and pursue military assistance.
According to an NGO Transparency International corruption perception index, Ukraine was placed 104 out of 180 nations in 2023, a rise of 12 spots from the year before.
